John Donne Church of England Primary School
High Street, Blunham, Bedford, MK44 3NL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Anita Whitehurst
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Federation
- The Riverbank Federation
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 208
- Pupils on roll
- 119
- URN
- 109615
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01767640346
About this school
John Donne Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Bedford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 119 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected John Donne Church of England 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Requires improvement
- 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 | 12 | 12 | 17 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 42% | 29% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 0% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 83% | 59% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 42% | 35% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 58% | 50% | 59% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 97.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.60 | - | - |
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 John Donne Church of England 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 | Central Bedfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50% | 47.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 42% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 29% | 49.9% | 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% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 120 |
| 2023/24 | 119 |
| 2024/25 | 121 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How John Donne Church of England Primary School compares
John Donne Church of England Primary School ranked 46th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% 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 | 29% | 5.5% | 17.4% | 119 | — |
| Maple Tree Primary School | 71% | 4% | 11.2% | 241 | 1.0 miles |
| Moggerhanger Primary School | 62% | 4.1% | 15.6% | 119 | 1.3 miles |
| Laburnum Primary School | 63% | 5.8% | 24.3% | 174 | 1.5 miles |
| Robert Peel Primary School | 57% | 5.3% | 28.7% | 386 | 1.6 miles |
| Great Barford Church of England Primary Academy | 0% | 5.2% | 20.6% | 176 | 1.6 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.
Inspection history
- 28 November 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report9 February 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 17.43%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- Overall absence
- 5.47%
- Persistent absence
- 14.12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Maple Tree Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Sandy
-
Moggerhanger Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Laburnum Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Sandy
-
Robert Peel Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Sandy
-
Great Barford Church of England Primary Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
John Donne Church of England Primary School ranks 48th 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 ages does John Donne Church of England Primary School teach?
- John Donne Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of John Donne Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of John Donne Church of England Primary School is Mrs Anita Whitehurst, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has John Donne Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected John Donne Church of England 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School?
- John Donne Church of England Primary School has 119 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is John Donne Church of England Primary School full?
- John Donne Church of England Primary School has capacity for 208 pupils and 119 on roll (57%), 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. John Donne Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does John Donne Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records John Donne Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is John Donne Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- John Donne Church of England Primary School is part of the The Riverbank Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have John Donne Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 50% in 2022/23 and 29% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does John Donne Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Central Bedfordshire?
- John Donne Church of England Primary School ranked 46th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- John Donne Church of England 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, John Donne Church of England 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.