Southill Lower School
School Lane, Southill, Biggleswade, SG18 9JA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Samantha Barlow
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Federation
- Derwent and Southill Federation
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 75
- Pupils on roll
- 78
- URN
- 109481
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462813312
About this school
Southill Lower School is a community primary school in Biggleswade. It teaches children aged 3 to 9 and has 78 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Southill 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Strong standard
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How Southill 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% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 62 |
| 2023/24 | 68 |
| 2024/25 | 75 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Southill Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.9% | 6.8% | 78 | — |
| Clifton All Saints Academy | 65% | 3.9% | 10.8% | 229 | 2.2 miles |
| Shefford Lower School | — | 4.9% | 12.3% | 514 | 2.2 miles |
| Langford Village Academy | 62% | 5% | 15.3% | 295 | 2.3 miles |
| Caldecote Church of England Academy | — | 12.9% | 33.8% | 85 | 2.5 miles |
| Campton Academy | — | 3.4% | 4.6% | 128 | 2.8 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.78%
- English as an additional language
- 1.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.86%
- Persistent absence
- 8.33%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Clifton All Saints Academy2.2 miles
Primary · Near Shefford
-
Shefford Lower School2.2 miles
Primary · Shefford
-
Langford Village Academy2.3 miles
Primary · Biggleswade
-
Caldecote Church of England Academy2.5 miles
Primary · Biggleswade
-
Campton Academy2.8 miles
Primary · Shefford
Other schools in Biggleswade
- Biggleswade Academy Primary
- Caldecote Church of England Academy Primary
- Dunton CofE Junior School Primary
- Langford Village Academy Primary
- Lawnside Academy Primary
- Northill CofE Academy Primary
- St Andrew's CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Edward Peake CofE VC School Secondary
- Stratton School Secondary
- Ivel Valley School & College Special schools
- OneSchool Global UK - Biggleswade Campus Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Southill Lower School teach?
- Southill Lower School teaches children aged 3 to 9. It is a primary school in Biggleswade.
- Who is the headteacher of Southill Lower School?
- The headteacher of Southill Lower School is Mrs Samantha Barlow, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Southill Lower School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Southill 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 Southill Lower School?
- Southill Lower School has 78 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 9.
- Is Southill Lower School full?
- Southill Lower School has capacity for 75 pupils and 78 on roll (104%), 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 Southill Lower School a faith school?
- No. Southill Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does Southill Lower School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Southill Lower School as having nursery classes.
- Is Southill Lower School part of an academy trust?
- Southill Lower School is part of the Derwent and Southill Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Southill Lower School's absence rate?
- Southill Lower School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Southill 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 Southill 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.