St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School
Biddenham Turn, Bedford, MK40 4AT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- OUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST LTD
- Headteacher
- Mrs Gemma Otter
- Diocese
- Diocese of Northampton
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust (OLICAT)
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 525
- Pupils on roll
- 271
- URN
- 139547
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234352062
About this school
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 271 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-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
- 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 | 56 | 51 | 43 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 45% | 35% | 44% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 2% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 66% | 71% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 64% | 49% | 63% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 63% | 63% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 100.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.80 | - | - |
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 St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-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 | 45% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 35% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 44% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 354 |
| 2023/24 | 326 |
| 2024/25 | 328 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School compares
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School ranked 44th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44% | 5.6% | 31.4% | 271 | — |
| Westfield Primary School | 48% | 5.8% | 23% | 298 | 0.3 miles |
| Queen's Park Academy | 61% | 5.5% | 36.8% | 446 | 0.3 miles |
| Great Ouse Primary Academy | 67% | 5.1% | 22.2% | 455 | 0.4 miles |
| St James' CofE Academy | 54% | 4.9% | 19.3% | 194 | 0.6 miles |
| Great Denham Primary School | 72% | 4.3% | 16% | 677 | 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)
- 31.42%
- English as an additional language
- 83.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.55%
- Persistent absence
- 16.08%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Westfield Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Queen's Park Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Great Ouse Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
St James' CofE Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Great Denham Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School ranks 43rd of the 53 ranked primary 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 ages does St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School teach?
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School?
- The headteacher of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School is Mrs Gemma Otter, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-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 St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School?
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School has 271 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School full?
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School has capacity for 525 pupils and 271 on roll (52%), 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 St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School a faith school?
- Yes. St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Northampton.
- Does St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School as having nursery classes.
- Is St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School part of an academy trust?
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School is part of OUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST LTD. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 45% in 2022/23 and 44% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School compare with other schools in Bedford?
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School ranked 44th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School's absence rate?
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-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.