62%
GCSE 9–4 · 2024/25
37%
GCSE 5+ · 2024/25
46.5
Attainment 8 · 2024/25
89%
EBacc entry · 2024/25
441.7
EBacc APS · 2024/25
525
Pupils · 2024/25
64%
EAL · 2024/25
19%
Persistent abs. · 2024/25
Ofsted inspection
Outstanding
Ofsted inspection · 15/01/2020
Inadequate
Requires improvement
Good
Outstanding
Local authorityBedford
PhaseSecondary
School typeAcademy
Pupil : teacher ratio15.4:1
AdmissionsNon-selective
Religious characterNone
StatusOpen
Overview of Bedford Free School · Secondary · Bedford
Part ofADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
How does this school perform?
Key Stage 4 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
GCSE 9–4 incl. Eng & maths
62%
-12pp
81%72%62%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 62%
GCSE 5+ incl. Eng & maths
37%
-17pp
56%46%37%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 37%
Attainment 8
46.5
-6.2
54.650.546.5
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 46.5
EBacc entry
89%
-4pp
95%90%84%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 89%
EBacc APS
441.7
-63.8
515.9478.8441.7
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 441.7
Pupils & context
2024/25
Pupils on roll
525
Pupil : teacher ratio
15.4
Workforce data · 2025/26
EAL
64%
FSM eligible
29%
SEN
9%
Overall absence
8%
Persistent absence
19%
Contact
Address
Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AD
Local authority
Bedford
Telephone
Email
—
History
All years · Historical DfE data by academic year
Secondary — Key Stage 4
GCSE attainment and Progress 8 — how pupils progressed from KS2 to KS4.
| Year | GCSE 9–4 | GCSE 5+ | Attainment 8 | Progress 8 | EBacc entry | EBacc APS | EBacc lang entry | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 62% | 37% | 46.5 | Not applicable | 89% | 441.7 | 89% | 525 |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 54% | 52.7 | +1.11 | 93% | 505.5 | 93% | 529 |
| 2022/23 | 72% | 48% | 51.0 | +0.99 | 95% | 469.1 | 96% | 508 |
| 2021/22 | 81% | 56% | 54.6 | +0.89 | 92% | 515.9 | 92% | 499 |
| 2018/19 | 63% | 42% | 48.8 | +0.80 | 84% | 476.8 | 84% | 502 |
| 2017/18 | 64% | 41% | 46.5 | +0.38 | 84% | 431.1 | 84% | 506 |
| 2016/17 | 61% | 36% | 47.5 | +0.18 | 49% | — | 53% | 514 |
Pupils & absence
| Year | Pupils | Pupil:teacher | SEN | EAL | FSM ever | Absence | Persistent absence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 525 | 15.0 | 9% | 64% | 29% | 8% | 19% |
| 2023/24 | 529 | 16.7 | 11% | 67% | 27% | 6% | 20% |
| 2022/23 | 508 | 16.2 | 9% | 61% | 26% | 8% | 27% |
| 2021/22 | 499 | 13.7 | 10% | 58% | 24% | 6% | 18% |
| 2020/21 | 504 | 14.4 | 9% | 55% | 24% | — | — |
| 2018/19 | 502 | 16.8 | 10% | 38% | 25% | 4% | 8% |
| 2017/18 | 506 | 13.9 | 10% | 35% | 24% | 4% | 10% |
| 2016/17 | 514 | 15.3 | 6% | 30% | 27% | 4% | 13% |
School performance data © Crown copyright. Source: Department for Education.