Milton Ernest CofE Primary School
Thurleigh Road, Milton Ernest, Bedford, MK44 1RF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Virnuls
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Federation
- Federation of Eileen Wade and Milton Ernest CoE Primary Schools
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 84
- Pupils on roll
- 67
- URN
- 109613
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234822079
About this school
Milton Ernest CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Bedford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 67 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 17 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.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | - | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | - | 64% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | - | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | - | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | - | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | - | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.90 | - | - |
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 Milton Ernest 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 | 63% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | — | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 58 |
| 2023/24 | 58 |
| 2024/25 | 63 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Milton Ernest CofE Primary School compares
Milton Ernest CofE Primary School ranked 30th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 5.5% | 9.5% | 67 | — |
| Oakley Primary Academy | 63% | 4% | 15.2% | 210 | 1.7 miles |
| Pinchmill Primary School | 29% | 3.3% | 10.4% | 88 | 1.9 miles |
| Ursula Taylor Church of England School | 35% | 5.4% | 20.2% | 350 | 2.4 miles |
| Thurleigh Primary School | 50% | 5.8% | 28.6% | 92 | 2.6 miles |
| Sharnbrook Primary | 70% | 4.7% | 13.9% | 216 | 2.6 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)
- 9.52%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.48%
- Persistent absence
- 16.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Oakley Primary Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Pinchmill Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Ursula Taylor Church of England School2.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Thurleigh Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Sharnbrook Primary2.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Milton Ernest CofE Primary School ranks 29th 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
- Carlton CofE Primary 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Milton Ernest CofE Primary School teach?
- Milton Ernest CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Milton Ernest CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Milton Ernest CofE Primary School is Mrs Lisa Virnuls, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Milton Ernest CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Milton Ernest 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 big is Milton Ernest CofE Primary School?
- Milton Ernest CofE Primary School has 67 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Milton Ernest CofE Primary School full?
- Milton Ernest CofE Primary School has capacity for 84 pupils and 67 on roll (80%), 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 Milton Ernest CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Milton Ernest CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does Milton Ernest CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Milton Ernest CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Milton Ernest CofE Primary School?
- Milton Ernest CofE Primary School is part of the Federation of Eileen Wade and Milton Ernest CoE Primary Schools federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Milton Ernest CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Milton Ernest CofE Primary School rank locally?
- Milton Ernest CofE Primary School ranked 30th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Milton Ernest CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Milton Ernest CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Milton Ernest CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Milton Ernest 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.