The Rushmere Park Academy
East Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1EW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
- Acting Headteacher
- Miss Viv Capron
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Advantage Schools Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 207
- URN
- 146685
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01525372096
About this school
The Rushmere Park Academy is a primary academy in Leighton Buzzard. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 207 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Rushmere Park 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 no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How The Rushmere Park 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 | 7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 170 |
| 2023/24 | 190 |
| 2024/25 | 204 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Rushmere Park Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.1% | 29.8% | 207 | — |
| Clipstone Brook Lower School | — | 5.6% | 12.3% | 306 | 0.5 miles |
| The Mary Bassett Lower School | — | 6.1% | 17.4% | 378 | 0.5 miles |
| Pulford CofE VA Lower School | — | 3% | 4.5% | 259 | 0.7 miles |
| Dovery Academy | — | 4.2% | 5% | 191 | 0.7 miles |
| Leedon Lower School | — | 6.8% | 17.8% | 368 | 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report28 April 2026
- 17 May 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 29.8%
- English as an additional language
- 15.7%
- Overall absence
- 6.06%
- Persistent absence
- 14.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Clipstone Brook Lower School0.5 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
The Mary Bassett Lower School0.5 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Pulford CofE VA Lower School0.7 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Dovery Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
-
Leedon Lower School0.8 miles
Primary · Leighton Buzzard
Other schools in Leighton Buzzard
- Beaudesert Lower School Primary
- Brookmead School Primary
- Clipstone Brook Lower School Primary
- Dovery Academy Primary
- Greenleas School Primary
- Heathwood Lower School Primary
- Hockliffe Lower School Primary
- Leedon Lower School Primary
- Linslade Lower School Primary
- Pulford CofE VA Lower School Primary
- Southcott Lower School Primary
- St Leonards CE Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Rushmere Park Academy teach?
- The Rushmere Park Academy teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Leighton Buzzard.
- Who is the acting headteacher of The Rushmere Park Academy?
- The acting headteacher of The Rushmere Park Academy is Miss Viv Capron, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Rushmere Park Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Rushmere Park 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 The Rushmere Park Academy?
- The Rushmere Park Academy has 207 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is The Rushmere Park Academy full?
- The Rushmere Park Academy has capacity for 150 pupils and 207 on roll (138%), so it is at or above 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 The Rushmere Park Academy a faith school?
- No. The Rushmere Park Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does The Rushmere Park Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Rushmere Park Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is The Rushmere Park Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Rushmere Park Academy is part of ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does The Rushmere Park Academy have?
- The schools register lists The Rushmere Park Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is The Rushmere Park Academy's absence rate?
- The Rushmere Park Academy's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does The Rushmere Park 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 The Rushmere Park 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 15 July 2026.