Heathwood Lower School
Heath Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3AU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jackie Wright
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 195
- URN
- 109513
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525377096
About this school
Heathwood Lower School is a community primary school in Leighton Buzzard. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 195 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Heathwood 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 17 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 Heathwood 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 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 179 |
| 2023/24 | 187 |
| 2024/25 | 200 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Heathwood Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.3% | 6.5% | 195 | — |
| Dovery Academy | — | 4.2% | 5% | 191 | 0.2 miles |
| St Leonards CE Academy | — | — | — | 117 | 0.8 miles |
| The Rushmere Park Academy | — | 6.1% | 29.8% | 207 | 0.8 miles |
| Beaudesert Lower School | — | 5% | 13.4% | 278 | 1.2 miles |
| The Mary Bassett Lower School | — | 6.1% | 17.4% | 378 | 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)
- 6.45%
- English as an additional language
- 0.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.29%
- Persistent absence
- 3.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Dovery Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
St Leonards CE Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
The Rushmere Park Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Beaudesert Lower School1.2 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
The Mary Bassett Lower School1.2 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
Other schools in Leighton Buzzard
- Beaudesert Lower School Primary
- Brookmead School Primary
- Clipstone Brook Lower School Primary
- Dovery Academy Primary
- Greenleas 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 Heathwood Lower School teach?
- Heathwood Lower School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Leighton Buzzard.
- Who is the headteacher of Heathwood Lower School?
- The headteacher of Heathwood Lower School is Mrs Jackie Wright, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Heathwood Lower School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Heathwood 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 Heathwood Lower School?
- Heathwood Lower School has 195 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Heathwood Lower School full?
- Heathwood Lower School has capacity for 150 pupils and 195 on roll (130%), 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 Heathwood Lower School a faith school?
- No. Heathwood Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does Heathwood Lower School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Heathwood Lower School as having no nursery classes.
- What SEN provision does Heathwood Lower School have?
- The schools register lists Heathwood Lower School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Heathwood Lower School's absence rate?
- Heathwood Lower School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Heathwood 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 Heathwood 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.