Southcott Lower School
Bideford Green, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 2UA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Shagoofa Karim-Samad
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 300
- Pupils on roll
- 312
- URN
- 109523
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525375753
About this school
Southcott Lower School is a community primary school in Leighton Buzzard. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 312 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 3 March 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 Southcott 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 | 4.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 305 |
| 2023/24 | 308 |
| 2024/25 | 296 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Southcott Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.5% | 3.7% | 312 | — |
| Linslade Lower School | — | 2.7% | 3.3% | 181 | 0.2 miles |
| Greenleas School | — | 3.6% | 8.8% | 664 | 0.4 miles |
| The Mary Bassett Lower School | — | 6.1% | 17.4% | 378 | 0.8 miles |
| Pulford CofE VA Lower School | — | 3% | 4.5% | 259 | 1.0 miles |
| The Rushmere Park Academy | — | 6.1% | 29.8% | 207 | 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)
- 3.68%
- English as an additional language
- 2.4%
- Overall absence
- 3.47%
- Persistent absence
- 5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Linslade Lower School0.2 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Greenleas School0.4 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
The Mary Bassett Lower School0.8 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Pulford CofE VA Lower School1.0 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
The Rushmere Park Academy1.2 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
- Heathwood Lower School Primary
- Hockliffe Lower School Primary
- Leedon Lower School Primary
- Linslade Lower School Primary
- Pulford CofE VA Lower School Primary
- St Leonards CE Academy Primary
- St Michael's Church of England Combined School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Southcott Lower School teach?
- Southcott Lower School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Leighton Buzzard.
- Who is the headteacher of Southcott Lower School?
- The headteacher of Southcott Lower School is Mrs Shagoofa Karim-Samad, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Southcott Lower School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Southcott 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 big is Southcott Lower School?
- Southcott Lower School has 312 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Southcott Lower School full?
- Southcott Lower School has capacity for 300 pupils and 312 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 Southcott Lower School a faith school?
- No. Southcott Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does Southcott Lower School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Southcott Lower School as having nursery classes.
- What is Southcott Lower School's absence rate?
- Southcott Lower School's overall absence rate is 3.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Southcott 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 Southcott 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.