Russell Lower School
Queens Road, Ampthill, MK45 2TD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 5 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Glenn Young
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 450
- Pupils on roll
- 437
- URN
- 109495
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525755664
About this school
Russell Lower School is a community primary school in Ampthill. It teaches children aged 5 to 9 and has 437 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Russell 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 4 November 2022, 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 Russell 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 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 449 |
| 2023/24 | 449 |
| 2024/25 | 443 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Russell Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.6% | 5% | 437 | — |
| The Firs Lower School | — | 4% | 4% | 350 | 0.3 miles |
| Maulden Lower School | — | 6% | 10.7% | 166 | 1.4 miles |
| Templefield Lower School | — | 4.5% | 10.7% | 290 | 1.6 miles |
| Kingsmoor Lower School | — | 3.7% | 11.8% | 167 | 1.6 miles |
| Flitwick Lower School | — | 4.9% | 8.9% | 336 | 1.9 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)
- 4.97%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 3.57%
- Persistent absence
- 3.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Firs Lower School0.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Maulden Lower School1.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Templefield Lower School1.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Kingsmoor Lower School1.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Flitwick Lower School1.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
Common questions
- What ages does Russell Lower School teach?
- Russell Lower School teaches children aged 5 to 9. It is a primary school in Ampthill.
- Who is the headteacher of Russell Lower School?
- The headteacher of Russell Lower School is Mr Glenn Young, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Russell Lower School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Russell 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 Russell Lower School?
- Russell Lower School has 437 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 9.
- Is Russell Lower School full?
- Russell Lower School has capacity for 450 pupils and 437 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 Russell Lower School a faith school?
- No. Russell Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does Russell Lower School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Russell Lower School as having no nursery classes.
- What is Russell Lower School's absence rate?
- Russell Lower School's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Russell 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 Russell 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.