Gothic Mede Academy
High Street, Arlesey, SG15 6SL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- BEDFORDSHIRE SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED
- Principal
- Mr Thomas Clarke
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bedfordshire Schools Trust Limited
- Constituency
- Hitchin
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 300
- Pupils on roll
- 249
- URN
- 140281
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462732002
About this school
Gothic Mede Academy is a primary academy in Arlesey. It teaches children aged 3 to 9 and has 249 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 22 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 Gothic Mede 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 312 |
| 2023/24 | 315 |
| 2024/25 | 283 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Gothic Mede Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.3% | 17.4% | 249 | — |
| Fairfield Park Lower School | — | 4.6% | 6.5% | 479 | 1.1 miles |
| Roecroft Lower School | — | 4.3% | 8.4% | 359 | 1.4 miles |
| Derwent Primary School | 78% | 4.4% | 14% | 419 | 1.5 miles |
| Stonehill School | 68% | 8.2% | 35.8% | 220 | 1.6 miles |
| St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold | — | 4.5% | 14.4% | 297 | 1.7 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)
- 17.39%
- English as an additional language
- 3.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.33%
- Persistent absence
- 16.98%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Fairfield Park Lower School1.1 miles
Primary · Fairfield Park
-
Roecroft Lower School1.4 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
Derwent Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Henlow
-
Stonehill School1.6 miles
Primary · Letchworth Garden City
-
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold1.7 miles
Primary · Hitchin
Other schools in Arlesey
- Etonbury Academy Middle deemed secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Gothic Mede Academy teach?
- Gothic Mede Academy teaches children aged 3 to 9. It is a primary school in Arlesey.
- Who is the principal of Gothic Mede Academy?
- The principal of Gothic Mede Academy is Mr Thomas Clarke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Gothic Mede Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Gothic Mede 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 big is Gothic Mede Academy?
- Gothic Mede Academy has 249 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 9.
- Is Gothic Mede Academy full?
- Gothic Mede Academy has capacity for 300 pupils and 249 on roll (83%), 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 Gothic Mede Academy a faith school?
- No. Gothic Mede Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Gothic Mede Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Gothic Mede Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Gothic Mede Academy?
- Gothic Mede Academy is part of BEDFORDSHIRE SCHOOLS TRUST LIMITED. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Gothic Mede Academy's absence rate?
- Gothic Mede Academy's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Gothic Mede Academy publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Gothic Mede Academy. 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.