Beaudesert Lower School
Appenine Way, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3DX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Vanessa Pearce
- Constituency
- Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 290
- Pupils on roll
- 278
- URN
- 109466
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525373019
About this school
Beaudesert Lower School is a community primary school in Leighton Buzzard. It teaches children aged 4 to 9 and has 278 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Beaudesert 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 May 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How Beaudesert 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 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 282 |
| 2023/24 | 284 |
| 2024/25 | 283 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Beaudesert Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5% | 13.4% | 278 | — |
| Leedon Lower School | — | 6.8% | 17.8% | 368 | 0.6 miles |
| Clipstone Brook Lower School | — | 5.6% | 12.3% | 306 | 0.7 miles |
| The Rushmere Park Academy | — | 6.1% | 29.8% | 207 | 0.8 miles |
| Heathwood Lower School | — | 3.3% | 6.5% | 195 | 1.2 miles |
| Dovery Academy | — | 4.2% | 5% | 191 | 1.2 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)
- 13.43%
- English as an additional language
- 8.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.96%
- Persistent absence
- 10.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Leedon Lower School0.6 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Clipstone Brook Lower School0.7 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
The Rushmere Park Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Heathwood Lower School1.2 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Dovery Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
Other schools in Leighton Buzzard
- Brookmead School Primary
- Clipstone Brook Lower School Primary
- Dovery Academy Primary
- Greenleas School Primary
- Heathwood Lower School Primary
- Hockliffe Lower School Primary
- Leedon Lower School Primary
- Linslade Lower School Primary
- Pulford CofE VA Lower School Primary
- Southcott Lower School Primary
- St Leonards CE Academy Primary
- St Michael's Church of England Combined School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Beaudesert Lower School teach?
- Beaudesert Lower School teaches children aged 4 to 9. It is a primary school in Leighton Buzzard.
- Who is the headteacher of Beaudesert Lower School?
- The headteacher of Beaudesert Lower School is Mrs Vanessa Pearce, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Beaudesert Lower School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Beaudesert 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 Beaudesert Lower School?
- Beaudesert Lower School has 278 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 9.
- Is Beaudesert Lower School full?
- Beaudesert Lower School has capacity for 290 pupils and 278 on roll (96%), 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 Beaudesert Lower School a faith school?
- No. Beaudesert Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does Beaudesert Lower School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Beaudesert Lower School as having no nursery classes.
- What is Beaudesert Lower School's absence rate?
- Beaudesert Lower School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Beaudesert 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 Beaudesert 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.