Meppershall Church of England Academy
107 High Street, Meppershall, Shefford, SG17 5LZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- POPPY HILL CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Ellie Corcoran
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Henlow Church of England Academy
- Constituency
- Hitchin
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 238
- URN
- 148640
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462813293
About this school
Meppershall Church of England Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Shefford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 238 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
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 | 16 | 52 | 63 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 31% | 54% | 30% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 4% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 75% | 63% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 62% | 44% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 73% | 54% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 102.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.30 | - | - |
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 Meppershall 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 | 31% | 47.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 30% | 49.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 159 |
| 2023/24 | 212 |
| 2024/25 | 222 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Meppershall Church of England Academy compares
Meppershall Church of England Academy ranked 45th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 21% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 30% | 7.5% | 18% | 238 | — |
| Campton Academy | — | 3.4% | 4.6% | 128 | 1.3 miles |
| Stondon Lower School | — | 4% | 8.6% | 136 | 1.3 miles |
| Shillington Lower School | — | 6.9% | 8.4% | 94 | 1.4 miles |
| Shefford Lower School | — | 4.9% | 12.3% | 514 | 1.6 miles |
| Gravenhurst Academy | — | 7.1% | 12.5% | 72 | 1.6 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)
- 18.02%
- English as an additional language
- 2.7%
- Overall absence
- 7.46%
- Persistent absence
- 23.08%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Campton Academy1.3 miles
Primary · Shefford
-
Stondon Lower School1.3 miles
Primary · Henlow
-
Shillington Lower School1.4 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
Shefford Lower School1.6 miles
Primary · Shefford
-
Gravenhurst Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Shefford
- Campton Academy Primary
- Shefford Lower School Primary
- Robert Bloomfield Academy Middle deemed secondary
- Samuel Whitbread Academy Secondary
Recorded changes at this school
Previous headteacher: Mrs Margaret Newman (until July 2026).
- Headteacher changed from Mrs Margaret Newman to Miss Ellie Corcoran recorded 17 Jul 2026
Common questions
- What year groups does Meppershall Church of England Academy teach?
- Meppershall Church of England Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Shefford.
- Who is the headteacher of Meppershall Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of Meppershall Church of England Academy is Miss Ellie Corcoran, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Meppershall Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Meppershall 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 big is Meppershall Church of England Academy?
- Meppershall Church of England Academy has 238 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Meppershall Church of England Academy full?
- Meppershall Church of England Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 238 on roll (113%), 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 Meppershall Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Meppershall Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does Meppershall Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Meppershall Church of England Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Meppershall Church of England Academy?
- Meppershall Church of England Academy is part of POPPY HILL CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Meppershall Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 31% in 2022/23 and 30% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Meppershall Church of England Academy rank locally?
- Meppershall Church of England Academy ranked 45th of 48 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 21% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Meppershall Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- Meppershall Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 7.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Meppershall Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Meppershall 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 17 July 2026.