Kempston Rural Primary School
Martell Drive, Kempston, MK42 7FJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms EJ Kelly
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 439
- URN
- 109463
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234854286
About this school
Kempston Rural Primary School is a community primary school in Kempston. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 439 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Kempston Rural Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 54 | 59 | 57 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 74% | 75% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 10% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 78% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 89% | 83% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 91% | 83% | 81% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Kempston Rural Primary 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 | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 74% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 440 |
| 2023/24 | 441 |
| 2024/25 | 440 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kempston Rural Primary School compares
Kempston Rural Primary School ranked 15th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 4.3% | 14.3% | 439 | — |
| Balliol Primary School | 39% | 4.7% | 35.5% | 355 | 0.6 miles |
| Bedford Road Primary Academy | 46% | 5.4% | 30% | 365 | 0.9 miles |
| Great Denham Primary School | 72% | 4.3% | 16% | 677 | 1.1 miles |
| Springfield Primary School | 51% | 5.6% | 32.8% | 365 | 1.3 miles |
| Camestone School | 48% | 4.6% | 11.8% | 408 | 1.3 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)
- 14.32%
- English as an additional language
- 23%
- Overall absence
- 4.34%
- Persistent absence
- 10.51%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Balliol Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Bedford Road Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Great Denham Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Springfield Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Camestone School1.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
Common questions
- What ages does Kempston Rural Primary School teach?
- Kempston Rural Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Kempston.
- Who is the headteacher of Kempston Rural Primary School?
- The headteacher of Kempston Rural Primary School is Ms EJ Kelly, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Kempston Rural Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kempston Rural Primary 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 Kempston Rural Primary School?
- Kempston Rural Primary School has 439 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Kempston Rural Primary School full?
- Kempston Rural Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 439 on roll (105%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Kempston Rural Primary School a faith school?
- No. Kempston Rural Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Kempston Rural Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Kempston Rural Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Kempston Rural Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 74% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kempston Rural Primary School compare with other schools in Bedford?
- Kempston Rural Primary School ranked 15th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kempston Rural Primary School's absence rate?
- Kempston Rural Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kempston Rural Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kempston Rural Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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.