St Mary's VA CofE Lower School
High Street, Clophill, MK45 4BE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Karen Bingley
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 134
- URN
- 109617
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525860206
About this school
St Mary's VA CofE Lower School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Clophill. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 134 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Early years
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How St Mary's VA CofE 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 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 137 |
| 2023/24 | 154 |
| 2024/25 | 143 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's VA CofE Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4% | 11.3% | 134 | — |
| Maulden Lower School | — | 6% | 10.7% | 166 | 1.9 miles |
| Silsoe CofE VC Lower School | — | 4.5% | 12.2% | 251 | 1.9 miles |
| Gravenhurst Academy | — | 7.1% | 12.5% | 72 | 1.9 miles |
| Campton Academy | — | 3.4% | 4.6% | 128 | 2.4 miles |
| Haynes Lower School | — | 4.6% | 5% | 136 | 2.7 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
-
Graded inspection report3 March 2026
- 22 September 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.32%
- English as an additional language
- 2.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.01%
- Persistent absence
- 4.82%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Maulden Lower School1.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Silsoe CofE VC Lower School1.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Gravenhurst Academy1.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Campton Academy2.4 miles
Primary · Shefford
-
Haynes Lower School2.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary's VA CofE Lower School teach?
- St Mary's VA CofE Lower School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Clophill.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's VA CofE Lower School?
- The headteacher of St Mary's VA CofE Lower School is Mrs Karen Bingley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's VA CofE Lower School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's VA CofE 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 St Mary's VA CofE Lower School?
- St Mary's VA CofE Lower School has 134 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is St Mary's VA CofE Lower School full?
- St Mary's VA CofE Lower School has capacity for 150 pupils and 134 on roll (89%), 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 St Mary's VA CofE Lower School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's VA CofE Lower School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does St Mary's VA CofE Lower School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's VA CofE Lower School as having nursery classes.
- What is St Mary's VA CofE Lower School's absence rate?
- St Mary's VA CofE Lower School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St Mary's VA CofE 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 St Mary's VA CofE 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.