Ardley Hill Academy
Lowther Road, Dunstable, LU6 3NZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Romina Lang
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Chiltern Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 520
- Pupils on roll
- 422
- URN
- 138209
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01582667955
About this school
Ardley Hill Academy is a primary academy in Dunstable. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 422 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ardley Hill 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
- Early years
- 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 | 60 | 48 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 42% | 60% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 4% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 63% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 67% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 67% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.00 | - | - |
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 Ardley Hill 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 | 60% | 47.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 42% | 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 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 454 |
| 2023/24 | 459 |
| 2024/25 | 461 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ardley Hill Academy compares
Ardley Hill Academy ranked 22nd 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 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 60% | 5.5% | 12% | 422 | — |
| Watling Lower School | — | — | — | 190 | 0.3 miles |
| Lark Rise Academy | 88% | 3.3% | 6.4% | 351 | 0.4 miles |
| St. Augustine's Academy | 32% | 6% | 35.8% | 177 | 0.6 miles |
| Dunstable Icknield Lower School | — | 6% | 16.2% | 295 | 0.7 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | 62% | 5.3% | 27.7% | 229 | 0.8 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)
- 11.99%
- English as an additional language
- 20.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.46%
- Persistent absence
- 13.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Watling Lower School0.3 miles
Primary · Dunstable
-
Lark Rise Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Dunstable
-
St. Augustine's Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Dunstable
-
Dunstable Icknield Lower School0.7 miles
Primary · Dunstable
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Luton
Other schools in Dunstable
Ardley Hill Academy ranks 8th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Dunstable.
- Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School Primary
- Beecroft Academy Primary
- Dunstable Icknield Lower School Primary
- Eaton Bray Academy Primary
- Edlesborough Primary Academy Primary
- Hadrian Academy Primary
- Harlington Lower School Primary
- Houghton Regis Primary School Primary
- Kensworth Church of England Academy Primary
- Lancot School Primary
- Lark Rise Academy Primary
- St Christophers Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Ardley Hill Academy teach?
- Ardley Hill Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Dunstable.
- Who is the headteacher of Ardley Hill Academy?
- The headteacher of Ardley Hill Academy is Headteacher Romina Lang, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ardley Hill Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ardley Hill 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 Ardley Hill Academy?
- Ardley Hill Academy has 422 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Ardley Hill Academy full?
- Ardley Hill Academy has capacity for 520 pupils and 422 on roll (81%), 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 Ardley Hill Academy a faith school?
- No. Ardley Hill Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Ardley Hill Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Ardley Hill Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Ardley Hill Academy part of an academy trust?
- Ardley Hill Academy is part of CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Ardley Hill Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% 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 Ardley Hill Academy compare with other schools in Central Bedfordshire?
- Ardley Hill Academy ranked 22nd 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 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ardley Hill Academy's absence rate?
- Ardley Hill Academy's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ardley Hill Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ardley Hill 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.