Bedford Free School
Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AD
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
- Principal
- Mr Tom Wood
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Advantage Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Bedford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 500
- Pupils on roll
- 536
- URN
- 138228
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234332299
About this school
Bedford Free School is a secondary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 536 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bedford Free School, 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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 95 | 98 | 98 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.0 | 52.7 | 46.5 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.99 +0.67 to +1.31 | +1.11 +0.82 to +1.39 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 48% | 54.1% | 36.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 74.5% | 62.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 95% | 92.9% | 88.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.9 | 5.2 | 4.5 |
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 Bedford Free 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 | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 51 | 38 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 52.7 | 38.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46.5 | 36.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 508 |
| 2023/24 | 529 |
| 2024/25 | 525 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bedford Free School compares
Bedford Free School ranked 5th of 13 secondary schools in Bedford for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46.5 | 7.7% | 28.6% | 536 | — |
| Bedford Academy | 42.8 | 8.6% | 37.8% | 1,480 | 1.1 miles |
| Castle Newnham School | 42.7 | 7.6% | 20.1% | 744 | 1.1 miles |
| Goldington Academy | 54.3 | 6.1% | 22.9% | 958 | 1.3 miles |
| Biddenham International School and Sports College | 42.1 | 8.8% | 35.3% | 1,422 | 1.3 miles |
| Daubeney Academy | 38.5 | 6.8% | 26.7% | 576 | 1.5 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
-
Ungraded inspection report24 April 2025
- 15 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 28.57%
- English as an additional language
- 64%
- Overall absence
- 7.72%
- Persistent absence
- 19.42%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bedford Academy1.1 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Castle Newnham School1.1 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Goldington Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Biddenham International School and Sports College1.3 miles
Secondary · Bedford
-
Daubeney Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Bedford Free School ranks 6th of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Bedford.
- Bedford Academy 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
- Redborne Upper School and Community College Secondary
- Sharnbrook Academy Secondary
- St Thomas More Catholic School Secondary
- Wixams Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Bedford Free School teach?
- Bedford Free School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Bedford.
- Who is the principal of Bedford Free School?
- The principal of Bedford Free School is Mr Tom Wood, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bedford Free School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bedford Free 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 many pupils are at Bedford Free School?
- Bedford Free School has 536 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Bedford Free School full?
- Bedford Free School has capacity for 500 pupils and 536 on roll (107%), 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 Bedford Free School a faith school?
- No. Bedford Free School has no designated religious character.
- Is Bedford Free School a selective school?
- No. Bedford Free School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Bedford Free School part of an academy trust?
- Bedford Free School is part of ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bedford Free School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51 in 2022/23 and 46.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bedford Free School compare with other schools in Bedford?
- Bedford Free School ranked 5th of 13 secondary schools in Bedford for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bedford Free School's absence rate?
- Bedford Free School's overall absence rate is 7.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bedford Free School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bedford Free School'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.