Carlton CofE Primary School
The Moor, Carlton, Bedford, MK43 7JR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jo Bevis
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 120
- Pupils on roll
- 87
- URN
- 109610
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234720281
About this school
Carlton CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Bedford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 87 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Carlton CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 19 | 14 | 12 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 57% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 71% | 92% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 79% | 67% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 50% | 92% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 102.0 | 111.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Carlton CofE Primary 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 | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 58% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 94 |
| 2023/24 | 109 |
| 2024/25 | 95 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Carlton CofE Primary School compares
Carlton CofE Primary School ranked 14th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 5% | 12.5% | 87 | — |
| Harrold Primary Academy | 81% | 3.8% | 9.2% | 96 | 0.7 miles |
| Turvey Primary School | 71% | 3.7% | 17.4% | 81 | 2.0 miles |
| Lavendon School | 53% | 3.8% | 16.7% | 152 | 2.6 miles |
| Pinchmill Primary School | 29% | 3.3% | 10.4% | 88 | 2.8 miles |
| Newton Blossomville Church of England School | — | 3.1% | 20% | 7 | 3.2 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)
- 12.5%
- English as an additional language
- 3.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.96%
- Persistent absence
- 16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Harrold Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Turvey Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Lavendon School2.6 miles
Primary · Olney
-
Pinchmill Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Newton Blossomville Church of England School3.2 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Carlton CofE Primary School ranks 13th of the 53 ranked primary schools in Bedford.
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Bedford Road Primary Academy Primary
- Brickhill Primary School Primary
- Broadmead Lower School Primary
- Bromham CofE Primary School Primary
- Camestone School Primary
- Castle Newnham School Primary
- Cauldwell School Primary
- Cotton End Forest School Primary
- Cranfield Church of England Academy Primary
- Edith Cavell Primary School Primary
- Elstow School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Carlton CofE Primary School teach?
- Carlton CofE Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Carlton CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Carlton CofE Primary School is Mrs Jo Bevis, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Carlton CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Carlton CofE Primary 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 Carlton CofE Primary School?
- Carlton CofE Primary School has 87 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Carlton CofE Primary School full?
- Carlton CofE Primary School has capacity for 120 pupils and 87 on roll (73%), so it has space against 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 Carlton CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Carlton CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does Carlton CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Carlton CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Carlton CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Carlton CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Bedford?
- Carlton CofE Primary School ranked 14th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Carlton CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Carlton CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Carlton CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Carlton CofE Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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.