The Firs Lower School
Station Road, Ampthill, Bedford, MK45 2QR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE FIRS LOWER SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Adam Campbell
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 348
- Pupils on roll
- 350
- URN
- 137756
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525402735
About this school
The Firs Lower School is a primary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 350 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How The Firs 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 | 4.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 340 |
| 2023/24 | 335 |
| 2024/25 | 349 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Firs Lower School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4% | 4% | 350 | — |
| Russell Lower School | — | 3.6% | 5% | 437 | 0.3 miles |
| Templefield Lower School | — | 4.5% | 10.7% | 290 | 1.5 miles |
| Kingsmoor Lower School | — | 3.7% | 11.8% | 167 | 1.7 miles |
| Maulden Lower School | — | 6% | 10.7% | 166 | 1.7 miles |
| Flitwick Lower School | — | 4.9% | 8.9% | 336 | 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 4.01%
- English as an additional language
- 3.2%
- Overall absence
- 3.97%
- Persistent absence
- 6.96%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Russell Lower School0.3 miles
Primary · Ampthill
-
Templefield Lower School1.5 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Kingsmoor Lower School1.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Maulden Lower School1.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Flitwick Lower School1.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other 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 year groups does The Firs Lower School teach?
- The Firs Lower School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of The Firs Lower School?
- The headteacher of The Firs Lower School is Mr Adam Campbell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Firs Lower School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Firs 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 The Firs Lower School?
- The Firs Lower School has 350 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is The Firs Lower School full?
- The Firs Lower School has capacity for 348 pupils and 350 on roll (101%), 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 The Firs Lower School a faith school?
- No. The Firs Lower School has no designated religious character.
- Does The Firs Lower School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Firs Lower School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs The Firs Lower School?
- The Firs Lower School is part of THE FIRS LOWER SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is The Firs Lower School's absence rate?
- The Firs Lower School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does The Firs 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 The Firs 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 1 July 2026.