Arnold Academy
Hexton Road, Barton-le-Clay, Bedford, MK45 4JZ
- Phase
- Middle deemed secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 9 to 13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE PYRAMID SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Peter Roberts
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 720
- Pupils on roll
- 704
- URN
- 136829
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01582616400
About this school
Arnold Academy is a middle academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 9 to 13 and has 704 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Arnold Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- 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 | 179 | 151 | 179 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 31% | 50% | 60% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 1% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 73% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 71% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -7.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.50 | - | - |
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 Arnold 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 | Central Bedfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 31% | 47.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 60% | 49.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 686 |
| 2023/24 | 694 |
| 2024/25 | 699 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Arnold Academy compares
Arnold Academy ranked 20th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 60% | 6.1% | 11.9% | 704 | — |
| Woodland Middle School Academy | 39% | 5.6% | 16.4% | 645 | 4.5 miles |
| Parkfields Middle School | 50% | 6.4% | 10.5% | 460 | 5.0 miles |
| Alameda Middle School | 51% | 6.2% | 11.9% | 720 | 5.6 miles |
| Robert Bloomfield Academy | 42% | 5.3% | 14.3% | 962 | 6.0 miles |
| Marston Vale Middle School | 54% | 6.4% | 21.5% | 563 | 8.2 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)
- 11.87%
- English as an additional language
- 3.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.05%
- Persistent absence
- 13.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Woodland Middle School Academy4.5 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Bedford
-
Parkfields Middle School5.0 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Dunstable
-
Alameda Middle School5.6 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Bedford
-
Robert Bloomfield Academy6.0 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Shefford
-
Marston Vale Middle School8.2 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Arnold Academy ranks 22nd of the 53 ranked primary schools in Bedford.
- Alameda Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Holywell School Middle deemed secondary
- Marston Vale Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Woodland Middle School Academy Middle deemed secondary
- Cherry Trees Nursery School Nursery
- Peter Pan Nursery School Nursery
- 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
Common questions
- What ages does Arnold Academy teach?
- Arnold Academy teaches children aged 9 to 13. It is a middle school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Arnold Academy?
- The headteacher of Arnold Academy is Headteacher Peter Roberts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Arnold Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Arnold 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 Arnold Academy?
- Arnold Academy has 704 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 9 to 13.
- Is Arnold Academy full?
- Arnold Academy has capacity for 720 pupils and 704 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Arnold Academy a faith school?
- No. Arnold Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Arnold Academy part of an academy trust?
- Arnold Academy 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.
- What SEN provision does Arnold Academy have?
- The schools register lists Arnold Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Arnold Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 31% in 2022/23 and 60% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Arnold Academy compare with other schools in Central Bedfordshire?
- Arnold Academy ranked 20th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary 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 Arnold Academy's absence rate?
- Arnold Academy's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Arnold Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Arnold 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 1 July 2026.