Bedford Free School
General Info
- Education Phase
- Secondary
- Ofsted rating
- Outstanding Apr 23 2025 Ofsted report
- Gender
- Mixed
- Age range
- 11 - 16 y.o.
- Type
- Free Schools
- Funding
- State-funded secondary
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious Character
- None
- Sixth Form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Unique reference
- 138228
- Address
- Cauldwell Street, MK42 9AD
Pupils
- Number of Pupils
- 525 (95% of total capacity)
- Boys
- 51.4%
- Girls
- 48.6%
- First language not English
- 64%
- Free school meals (FSM)
- 28.4%
- Persistent absence
- 19.1%
- Special education needs (SEN)
- 4.4%
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| African | 11.4% |
| White British | 13.9% |
| Mixed | 14.1% |
| Other White | 15.8% |
| Indian | 16.4% |
| Bangladeshi | 10.7% |
| Pakistani | 7.8% |
| Other | 3.8% |
| Other Asian | 1.9% |
| Caribbean | 1.5% |
| Unclassified | 1.1% |
| Other Black | 0.8% |
| Gypsy/Roma | 0.4% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
| Chinese | 0.2% |
Exam Results
GCSE Results
Entering EBacc
| Area | Result |
|---|---|
| School | 89% |
| Local authority average | 38% |
| England average | 41% |
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
| Area | Result |
|---|---|
| School | 37% |
| Local authority average | 44% |
| England average | 45% |
Attainment 8 score
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| School | 46.5 |
| Local authority average | 44.4 |
| England average | 46 |
EBacc average point score
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| School | 4.51 |
| Local authority average | 3.89 |
| England average | 4.09 |
Subjects
GCSE Subjects
| Subject | Qualification | Number of entries |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | GCSE | 2 |
| Art & Design (Fine Art) | GCSE | 32 |
| Biology | GCSE | 16 |
| Chemistry | GCSE | 16 |
| Computer Studies/Computing | GCSE | 28 |
| Design & Technology | GCSE | 20 |
| English Language | GCSE | 97 |
| English Literature | GCSE | 97 |
| French | GCSE | 14 |
| Geography | GCSE | 56 |
Admissions
Bedford Free School
- Admission Policy
- Non-selective
- Total available places
- 108
- Status
- Oversubscribed
Applications
- 1st preference
- 190
- 2nd preference
- 135
- 3rd preference
- 51
- From another Local Authority
- 4
Offers
- 1st preference
- 98
- 2nd preference
- 9
- 3rd preference
- 1
- To another Local Authority
- 0
Class sizes
| Class type | Class size |
|---|---|
| Average size of one-teacher classes | 22.5 |
Cohort sizes
| Class type | Total Boys Girls |
|---|---|
| Year 7 | 106 49 57 |
| Year 8 | 106 52 54 |
| Year 9 | 105 56 49 |
| Year 10 | 107 58 49 |
| Year 11 | 101 55 46 |
Participation in Education, Training, Employment
| Destinations after GCSEs | School LA England |
|---|---|
| Staying in education | 86.0% 87.5% 85.5% |
Further education | 47.0% 47.3% 36.9% |
School sixth form | 39.0% 39.1% 35.2% |
Sixth form college | 0.0% 0.2% 12.9% |
Other education destinations | 0.0% 0.9% 0.5% |
| Entering employment | 3.0% 2.5% 2.6% |
| Entering apprenticeships | 1.0% 2.2% 3.3% |
| Not in education or employment | 5.0% 4.5% 5.7% |
| Destination unknown | 4.0% 3.3% 3.0% |