73%
GCSE 9–4 · 2024/25
48%
GCSE 5+ · 2024/25
46.7
Attainment 8 · 2024/25
12%
EBacc entry · 2024/25
1533.9
EBacc APS · 2024/25
1,660
Pupils · 2024/25
2%
EAL · 2024/25
28%
Persistent abs. · 2024/25
Ofsted inspection
Good
Ofsted inspection · 03/03/2023
Inadequate
Requires improvement
Good
Outstanding
Local authorityCentral Bedfordshire
PhaseSecondary with sixth form with sixth form
School typeAcademy
Pupil : teacher ratio17.8:1
AdmissionsNon-selective
Religious characterNone
StatusOpen
Overview of Samuel Whitbread Academy · Secondary with sixth form · Central Bedfordshire
How does this school perform?
Key Stage 4 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
GCSE 9–4 incl. Eng & maths
73%
+3pp
79%74%68%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 73%
GCSE 5+ incl. Eng & maths
48%
-3pp
55%52%48%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 48%
Attainment 8
46.7
-0.4
51.449.046.7
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 46.7
EBacc entry
12%
-4pp
16%13%10%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 12%
EBacc APS
1533.9
-67.4
1691.51609.81528.1
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 1533.9
Sixth form
Key Stage 5 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
A-level APS
35.9
+2.4
37.134.030.8
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 35.9
A-level value added
+0.02
+0.1
0.0-0.1-0.3
'17'18'19'24'25
'25 · 0.0
AAB+ in facilitating subjects
19%
+14pp
19%12%5%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 19%
Average A-level grade
B-
+1
B-C+C
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · B-
Pupils & context
2024/25
Pupils on roll
1,660
Pupil : teacher ratio
17.8
Workforce data · 2025/26
EAL
2%
FSM eligible
13%
SEN
17%
Overall absence
11%
Persistent absence
28%
Contact
Address
Shefford Road, Clifton, Shefford, SG17 5QS
Local authority
Central Bedfordshire
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 | 73% | 48% | 46.7 | Not applicable | 12% | 1533.9 | 12% | 1,660 |
| 2023/24 | 70% | 51% | 47.1 | -0.13 | 16% | 1601.3 | 16% | 1,670 |
| 2022/23 | 68% | 49% | 46.8 | -0.18 | 11% | 1528.1 | 11% | 1,674 |
| 2021/22 | 79% | 55% | 51.4 | -0.10 | 12% | 1691.5 | 12% | 1,650 |
| 2018/19 | 74% | 48% | 48.2 | -0.24 | 10% | 1583.8 | 15% | 1,669 |
| 2017/18 | 70% | 42% | 47.2 | -0.21 | 11% | 1602.5 | 16% | 1,643 |
| 2016/17 | 72% | 45% | 47.6 | -0.17 | 8% | — | 17% | 1,633 |
Sixth form — Key Stage 5
| Year | A-level APS | Avg grade | VA progress | AAB+ | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 35.9 | B- | +0.02 | 19% | 228 |
| 2023/24 | 33.5 | C+ | -0.05 | 5% | 253 |
| 2022/23 | 33.2 | C+ | — | 15% | 236 |
| 2021/22 | 37.1 | B- | — | 12% | 206 |
| 2018/19 | 30.8 | C | -0.31 | 12% | 248 |
| 2017/18 | 32.3 | C+ | +0.02 | 12% | 184 |
| 2016/17 | 29.9 | C | -0.06 | 10% | 218 |
Pupils & absence
| Year | Pupils | Pupil:teacher | SEN | EAL | FSM ever | Absence | Persistent absence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 1,660 | 19.2 | 17% | 2% | 13% | 11% | 28% |
| 2023/24 | 1,670 | 18.2 | 15% | 2% | 11% | 10% | 27% |
| 2022/23 | 1,674 | 18.2 | 11% | 2% | 11% | 9% | 25% |
| 2021/22 | 1,650 | 18.8 | 11% | 2% | 10% | 10% | 30% |
| 2020/21 | 1,663 | 18.4 | 9% | 2% | 8% | — | — |
| 2018/19 | 1,669 | 19.0 | 7% | 2% | 12% | 5% | 13% |
| 2017/18 | 1,643 | 18.8 | 7% | 1% | 12% | 6% | 12% |
| 2016/17 | 1,633 | 18.4 | 7% | 2% | 12% | 5% | 11% |
School performance data © Crown copyright. Source: Department for Education.