Elstow School
Abbey Fields, Elstow, Bedford, MK42 9GP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
- Principal
- Mrs Sarah Ciantar
- Sponsor
- Advantage Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 413
- URN
- 144039
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234302300
About this school
Elstow School is a primary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 413 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 February 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 59 | 57 | 61 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 70% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 11% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 82% | 87% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 82% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 82% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.90 | - | - |
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 Elstow 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 | 64% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 70% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 416 |
| 2023/24 | 410 |
| 2024/25 | 418 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Elstow School compares
Elstow School ranked 5th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 4.9% | 21.5% | 413 | — |
| Shackleton Primary School | 54% | 5.9% | 37.3% | 487 | 0.8 miles |
| King's Oak Primary School | 61% | 6% | 42.2% | 826 | 0.9 miles |
| Springfield Primary School | 51% | 5.6% | 32.8% | 365 | 0.9 miles |
| Camestone School | 48% | 4.6% | 11.8% | 408 | 1.0 miles |
| Cauldwell School | 74% | 4.3% | 26% | 415 | 1.0 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)
- 21.53%
- English as an additional language
- 22.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.87%
- Persistent absence
- 11.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shackleton Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
King's Oak Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Springfield Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Camestone School1.0 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Cauldwell School1.0 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
Elstow School ranks 5th 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 year groups does Elstow School teach?
- Elstow School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the principal of Elstow School?
- The principal of Elstow School is Mrs Sarah Ciantar, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Elstow School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Elstow 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 big is Elstow School?
- Elstow School has 413 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Elstow School full?
- Elstow School has capacity for 420 pupils and 413 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Elstow School a faith school?
- No. Elstow School has no designated religious character.
- Does Elstow School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Elstow School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Elstow School?
- Elstow School is part of ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Elstow School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Elstow School rank locally?
- Elstow School ranked 5th of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Elstow School's absence rate?
- Elstow School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Elstow School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Elstow 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 10 July 2026.