Harrold Primary Academy
The Green, Harrold, Bedford, MK43 7DB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- MERIDIAN TRUST
- Head Teacher
- Mr Callum Brown
- Sponsor
- Meridian Trust
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 96
- URN
- 143084
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234720346
About this school
Harrold Primary Academy is a primary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 96 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Harrold Primary 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 | 24 | 23 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 78% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 83% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 78% | 94% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 83% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.20 | - | - |
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 Harrold Primary 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 | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 58% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 116 |
| 2023/24 | 107 |
| 2024/25 | 98 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Harrold Primary Academy compares
Harrold Primary Academy ranked 1st of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 3.8% | 9.2% | 96 | — |
| Carlton CofE Primary School | 67% | 5% | 12.5% | 87 | 0.7 miles |
| Turvey Primary School | 71% | 3.7% | 17.4% | 81 | 2.5 miles |
| Lavendon School | 53% | 3.8% | 16.7% | 152 | 2.8 miles |
| Pinchmill Primary School | 29% | 3.3% | 10.4% | 88 | 2.9 miles |
| Bozeat Community Primary School | 83% | 4.8% | 13.9% | 133 | 3.0 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)
- 9.18%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 3.84%
- Persistent absence
- 6.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Carlton CofE Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Turvey Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Lavendon School2.8 miles
Primary · Olney
-
Pinchmill Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Bozeat Community Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Wellingborough
Other schools in Bedford
Harrold Primary Academy ranks 1st 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 Harrold Primary Academy teach?
- Harrold Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the head teacher of Harrold Primary Academy?
- The head teacher of Harrold Primary Academy is Mr Callum Brown, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Harrold Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Harrold Primary 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 Harrold Primary Academy?
- Harrold Primary Academy has 96 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Harrold Primary Academy full?
- Harrold Primary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 96 on roll (46%), 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 Harrold Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Harrold Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Harrold Primary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Harrold Primary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Is Harrold Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Harrold Primary Academy is part of MERIDIAN TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Harrold Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Harrold Primary Academy compare with other schools in Bedford?
- Harrold Primary Academy ranked 1st of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Harrold Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Harrold Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Harrold Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Harrold Primary 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 2 July 2026.