Shefford Lower School
School Lane, Shefford, SG17 5XA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Polly Ross
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Hitchin
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 450
- Pupils on roll
- 514
- URN
- 109479
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462629123
About this school
Shefford Lower School is a community primary school in Shefford. It teaches children aged 3 to 9 and has 514 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Shefford 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 May 2023, 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 Shefford 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 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 516 |
| 2023/24 | 515 |
| 2024/25 | 518 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Shefford Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.9% | 12.3% | 514 | — |
| Campton Academy | — | 3.4% | 4.6% | 128 | 0.7 miles |
| Meppershall Church of England Academy | 30% | 7.5% | 18% | 238 | 1.6 miles |
| Clifton All Saints Academy | 65% | 3.9% | 10.8% | 229 | 1.7 miles |
| Southill Lower School | — | 3.9% | 6.8% | 78 | 2.2 miles |
| Gravenhurst Academy | — | 7.1% | 12.5% | 72 | 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)
- 12.25%
- English as an additional language
- 2.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.85%
- Persistent absence
- 10.9%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Campton Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Shefford
-
Meppershall Church of England Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Shefford
-
Clifton All Saints Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Near Shefford
-
Southill Lower School2.2 miles
Primary · Biggleswade
-
Gravenhurst Academy2.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Shefford
- Campton Academy Primary
- Meppershall Church of England Academy Primary
- Robert Bloomfield Academy Middle deemed secondary
- Samuel Whitbread Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Shefford Lower School teach?
- Shefford Lower School teaches children aged 3 to 9. It is a primary school in Shefford.
- Who is the headteacher of Shefford Lower School?
- The headteacher of Shefford Lower School is Mrs Polly Ross, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Shefford Lower School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Shefford 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 Shefford Lower School?
- Shefford Lower School has 514 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 9.
- Is Shefford Lower School full?
- Shefford Lower School has capacity for 450 pupils and 514 on roll (114%), 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 Shefford Lower School a faith school?
- No. Shefford Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does Shefford Lower School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Shefford Lower School as having nursery classes.
- What SEN provision does Shefford Lower School have?
- The schools register lists Shefford Lower School's special educational needs provision as: SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Shefford Lower School's absence rate?
- Shefford Lower School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Shefford 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 Shefford 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.