Holywell School
Red Lion Close, Cranfield, Bedford, MK43 0JA
- Phase
- Middle deemed secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 9 to 13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- HOLYWELL CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Michael Simpson
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 720
- Pupils on roll
- 668
- URN
- 138844
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234750381
About this school
Holywell School is a Church of England middle academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 9 to 13 and has 668 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Holywell 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 July 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.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 180 | 179 | 184 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 54% | 58% | 27% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 3% | 1% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 72% | 65% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 74% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 66% | 61% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.90 | - | - |
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 Holywell 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 | Central Bedfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54% | 47.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 27% | 49.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 719 |
| 2023/24 | 722 |
| 2024/25 | 711 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holywell School compares
Holywell School ranked 47th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 27% | 5.7% | 17.6% | 668 | — |
| Marston Vale Middle School | 54% | 6.4% | 21.5% | 563 | 3.9 miles |
| Alameda Middle School | 51% | 6.2% | 11.9% | 720 | 5.3 miles |
| Woodland Middle School Academy | 39% | 5.6% | 16.4% | 645 | 6.3 miles |
| Parkfields Middle School | 50% | 6.4% | 10.5% | 460 | 8.8 miles |
| Gilbert Inglefield Academy | — | — | — | — | 10.2 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)
- 17.58%
- English as an additional language
- 5.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.73%
- Persistent absence
- 15.28%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Marston Vale Middle School3.9 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Bedford
-
Alameda Middle School5.3 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Bedford
-
Woodland Middle School Academy6.3 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Bedford
-
Parkfields Middle School8.8 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Dunstable
-
Gilbert Inglefield Academy10.2 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Leighton Buzzard
Other schools in Bedford
Holywell School ranks 50th of the 53 ranked primary schools in Bedford.
- Alameda Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Arnold Academy 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 Holywell School teach?
- Holywell School teaches children aged 9 to 13. It is a middle school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of Holywell School?
- The headteacher of Holywell School is Headteacher Michael Simpson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Holywell School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Holywell 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 Holywell School?
- Holywell School has 668 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 9 to 13.
- Is Holywell School full?
- Holywell School has capacity for 720 pupils and 668 on roll (93%), 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 Holywell School a faith school?
- Yes. Holywell School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Is Holywell School part of an academy trust?
- Holywell School is part of HOLYWELL CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Holywell School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 54% in 2022/23 and 27% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Holywell School compare with other schools in Central Bedfordshire?
- Holywell School ranked 47th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Holywell School's absence rate?
- Holywell School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Holywell School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Holywell 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.