Houghton Conquest Lower School
High Street, Houghton Conquest, Bedford, MK45 3LL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Miss Julie Heaslip
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 144
- Pupils on roll
- 139
- URN
- 109458
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234740202
About this school
Houghton Conquest Lower School is a community primary school in Bedford. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 139 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Houghton Conquest Lower School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Houghton Conquest Lower School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 137 |
| 2023/24 | 137 |
| 2024/25 | 142 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Houghton Conquest Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.8% | 22.3% | 139 | — |
| Willow Grove Primary School | — | 3.6% | 17% | 104 | 1.7 miles |
| Wilstead Primary School | — | — | — | — | 1.7 miles |
| Wixams Tree Primary Academy | 60% | 5.4% | 19.8% | 559 | 1.8 miles |
| Lakeview School | — | — | — | 436 | 2.1 miles |
| Maulden Lower School | — | 6% | 10.7% | 166 | 2.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 22.32%
- English as an additional language
- 0.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.78%
- Persistent absence
- 19.32%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Willow Grove Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Wixams
-
Wilstead Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Wixams Tree Primary Academy1.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Lakeview School2.1 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Maulden Lower School2.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Bedford Road Primary Academy Primary
- Brickhill Primary School Primary
- Broadmead Lower School Primary
- Bromham CofE Primary School Primary
- Camestone School Primary
- Carlton CofE Primary School Primary
- Castle Newnham School Primary
- Cauldwell School Primary
- Cotton End Forest School Primary
- Cranfield Church of England Academy Primary
- Edith Cavell Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Houghton Conquest Lower School teach?
- Houghton Conquest Lower School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Houghton Conquest Lower School?
- The headteacher of Houghton Conquest Lower School is Miss Julie Heaslip, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Houghton Conquest Lower School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Houghton Conquest Lower School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Houghton Conquest Lower School?
- Houghton Conquest Lower School has 139 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Houghton Conquest Lower School full?
- Houghton Conquest Lower School has capacity for 144 pupils and 139 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Houghton Conquest Lower School a faith school?
- No. Houghton Conquest Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does Houghton Conquest Lower School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Houghton Conquest Lower School as having nursery classes.
- What is Houghton Conquest Lower School's absence rate?
- Houghton Conquest Lower School's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Houghton Conquest Lower School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Houghton Conquest Lower School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.