Redborne Upper School and Community College
Flitwick Road, Ampthill, Bedford, MK45 2NU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 13 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE PYRAMID SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Olly Button
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,418
- Pupils on roll
- 1,657
- URN
- 136559
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525404462
About this school
Redborne Upper School and Community College is a secondary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 13 to 18 and has 1,657 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Redborne Upper School and Community College, 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 393 | 392 | 393 |
| Attainment 8 score | 47.5 | 45.3 | 46.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.09 -0.05 to +0.23 | +0.08 -0.07 to +0.22 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 51% | 44.1% | 44.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 68.1% | 69.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 20% | 28.6% | 22.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
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 Redborne Upper School and Community College 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 | 47.5 | 41.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 45.3 | 38.9 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46.6 | 42.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,615 |
| 2023/24 | 1,580 |
| 2024/25 | 1,592 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Redborne Upper School and Community College compares
Redborne Upper School and Community College ranked 5th of 14 secondary schools in Central Bedfordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 64% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46.6 | 8.4% | 13.9% | 1,657 | — |
| Harlington Upper School | 47.8 | 7.8% | 12.9% | 1,156 | 3.6 miles |
| Wixams Academy | 47.5 | 9.9% | 21.1% | 903 | 4.9 miles |
| Wootton Academy | 44.3 | 9.3% | 19.7% | 822 | 5.6 miles |
| Kempston Academy | 40.3 | 8.7% | 30% | 773 | 6.3 miles |
| Fulbrook School | 42.9 | 9.1% | 16.8% | 551 | 6.4 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
- 2 July 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report5 May 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 13.94%
- English as an additional language
- 1.9%
- Overall absence
- 8.36%
- Persistent absence
- 22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Harlington Upper School3.6 miles
Secondary · Dunstable
-
Wixams Academy4.9 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Wootton Academy5.6 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Kempston Academy6.3 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Fulbrook School6.4 miles
Secondary · Milton Keynes
Other schools in Bedford
Redborne Upper School and Community College ranks 5th 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
- Goldington Academy Secondary
- Kempston Academy Secondary
- Lincroft Academy Secondary
- Mark Rutherford School Secondary
- Sharnbrook Academy Secondary
- St Thomas More Catholic School Secondary
- Wixams Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Redborne Upper School and Community College teach?
- Redborne Upper School and Community College teaches children aged 13 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Redborne Upper School and Community College?
- The headteacher of Redborne Upper School and Community College is Mr Olly Button, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Redborne Upper School and Community College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Redborne Upper School and Community College, 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 Redborne Upper School and Community College?
- Redborne Upper School and Community College has 1,657 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 13 to 18.
- Is Redborne Upper School and Community College full?
- Redborne Upper School and Community College has capacity for 1,418 pupils and 1,657 on roll (117%), 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 Redborne Upper School and Community College a faith school?
- No. Redborne Upper School and Community College has no designated religious character.
- Is Redborne Upper School and Community College a selective school?
- No. Redborne Upper School and Community College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Redborne Upper School and Community College part of an academy trust?
- Redborne Upper School and Community College is part of THE PYRAMID SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Redborne Upper School and Community College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 47.5 in 2022/23 and 46.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Redborne Upper School and Community College compare with other schools in Central Bedfordshire?
- Redborne Upper School and Community College ranked 5th of 14 secondary schools in Central Bedfordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 64% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Redborne Upper School and Community College's absence rate?
- Redborne Upper School and Community College's overall absence rate is 8.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Redborne Upper School and Community College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Redborne Upper School and Community College'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 2 July 2026.