Goldington Academy
Haylands Way, Bedford, MK41 9BX
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- GOLDINGTON ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Francis Galbraith
- Sponsor
- Goldington Academy
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 750
- Pupils on roll
- 958
- URN
- 136552
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234261516
About this school
Goldington Academy is a secondary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 958 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Goldington Academy, 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
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
- Strong standard
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 154 | 173 | 177 |
| Attainment 8 score | 54.3 | 54.1 | 54.3 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.88 +0.65 to +1.11 | +0.85 +0.63 to +1.07 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 69% | 63.6% | 64.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 84% | 80.9% | 87.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 61% | 61.3% | 56.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Goldington Academy 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 | 54.3 | 38 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 54.1 | 38.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 54.3 | 36.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 889 |
| 2023/24 | 929 |
| 2024/25 | 942 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Goldington Academy compares
Goldington Academy ranked 1st of 13 secondary schools in Bedford for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 86% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54.3 | 6.1% | 22.9% | 958 | — |
| Castle Newnham School | 42.7 | 7.6% | 20.1% | 744 | 0.4 miles |
| Mark Rutherford School | 41.5 | 9.1% | 27.1% | 1,150 | 1.1 miles |
| Bedford Free School | 46.5 | 7.7% | 28.6% | 536 | 1.3 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic School | 47 | 10.2% | 21.2% | 893 | 1.5 miles |
| Bedford Academy | 42.8 | 8.6% | 37.8% | 1,480 | 1.8 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 report12 May 2026
- 1 February 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 22.93%
- English as an additional language
- 18.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.07%
- Persistent absence
- 16.74%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Castle Newnham School0.4 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Mark Rutherford School1.1 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Bedford Free School1.3 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
St Thomas More Catholic School1.5 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Bedford Academy1.8 miles
Secondary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Goldington Academy ranks 1st of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Bedford.
- Bedford Academy Secondary
- Bedford Free School Secondary
- Biddenham International School and Sports College Secondary
- Castle Newnham School Secondary
- Daubeney Academy Secondary
- Kempston Academy Secondary
- Lincroft Academy Secondary
- Mark Rutherford School Secondary
- Redborne Upper School and Community College Secondary
- Sharnbrook Academy Secondary
- St Thomas More Catholic School Secondary
- Wixams Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Goldington Academy teach?
- Goldington Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Bedford.
- Who is the principal of Goldington Academy?
- The principal of Goldington Academy is Mr Francis Galbraith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Goldington Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Goldington Academy, 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 Goldington Academy?
- Goldington Academy has 958 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Goldington Academy full?
- Goldington Academy has capacity for 750 pupils and 958 on roll (128%), 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 Goldington Academy a faith school?
- No. Goldington Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Goldington Academy part of an academy trust?
- Goldington Academy is part of GOLDINGTON ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Goldington Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 54.3 in 2022/23 and 54.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Goldington Academy compare with other schools in Bedford?
- Goldington Academy ranked 1st of 13 secondary schools in Bedford for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 86% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Goldington Academy's absence rate?
- Goldington Academy's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Goldington Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Goldington Academy'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 15 July 2026.