Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy
Angels Lane, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5HH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF ST ALBANS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Natasha Chiswell
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of St Albans
- Constituency
- Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 352
- Pupils on roll
- 206
- URN
- 143850
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01582865466
About this school
Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Dunstable. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 206 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Thomas Whitehead Church of England 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. 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 | 29 | 30 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 41% | 27% | 39% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 10% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 59% | 50% | 61% |
| Expected standard in maths | 41% | 33% | 57% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 52% | 47% | 57% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 99.0 | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.50 | - | - |
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 Thomas Whitehead Church of England 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 | Central Bedfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41% | 47.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 27% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 39% | 49.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 205 |
| 2023/24 | 192 |
| 2024/25 | 210 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy compares
Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy ranked 40th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 11% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 39% | 6.8% | 36.1% | 206 | — |
| Houghton Regis Primary School | 36% | 4.7% | 19.7% | 386 | 0.3 miles |
| Tithe Farm Primary School | 41% | 6.3% | 22.1% | 432 | 0.3 miles |
| St Vincent's Catholic Primary School | 73% | 3.9% | 10.2% | 213 | 0.4 miles |
| Lime Tree Primary Academy | 57% | 5.9% | 31.3% | 360 | 0.7 miles |
| Thornhill Primary School | 68% | 4.6% | 17.9% | 516 | 0.9 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)
- 36.13%
- English as an additional language
- 29.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.75%
- Persistent absence
- 19.88%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Houghton Regis Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Dunstable
-
Tithe Farm Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Dunstable
-
St Vincent's Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Dunstable
-
Lime Tree Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary
-
Thornhill Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Dunstable
Other schools in Dunstable
Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy ranks 16th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Dunstable.
- Ardley Hill Academy Primary
- Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School Primary
- Beecroft Academy Primary
- Dunstable Icknield Lower School Primary
- Eaton Bray Academy Primary
- Edlesborough Primary Academy Primary
- Hadrian Academy Primary
- Harlington Lower School Primary
- Houghton Regis Primary School Primary
- Kensworth Church of England Academy Primary
- Lancot School Primary
- Lark Rise Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy teach?
- Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Dunstable.
- Who is the headteacher of Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy is Mrs Natasha Chiswell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thomas Whitehead Church of England 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 Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy?
- Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy has 206 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy full?
- Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy has capacity for 352 pupils and 206 on roll (59%), 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 Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy part of an academy trust?
- Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy is part of DIOCESE OF ST ALBANS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 41% in 2022/23 and 39% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy compare with other schools in Central Bedfordshire?
- Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy ranked 40th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 11% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thomas Whitehead Church of England 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 10 July 2026.