Ardley Hill Academy, Dunstable
Ardley Hill Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Dunstable, part of Chiltern Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 20 schools in Dunstable with published results, and 10,359th of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ardley Hill Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Ardley Hill Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 66% in Central Bedfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 63% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Ardley Hill Academy
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put Ardley Hill Academy as their first choice and 95 named it as one of their preferences, for 37 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ardley Hill Academy are Watling Lower School (0.3 miles); Lark Rise Academy (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 98% reading, 95% maths); St. Augustine's Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 52% reading, 40% maths); and Dunstable Icknield Lower School (0.7 miles).
Ardley Hill Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Watling Lower SchoolLark Rise AcademySt. Augustine's AcademyDunstable Icknield Lower School
The trust
Ardley Hill Academy is one of 21 schools run by Chiltern Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
11.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leagrave Rail Station, about 3.2 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Borrowdale Avenue (opposite), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ardley Hill Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 8th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 194 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ardley Hill Academy issued 8 suspensions, 1.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Ardley Hill Academy are Queensbury Academy (0.5 miles), Priory Academy (0.6 miles), Manshead Church of England Academy (0.8 miles) and All Saints Academy Dunstable (1.5 miles).
Queensbury AcademyPriory AcademyManshead Church of England AcademyAll Saints Academy Dunstable
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils endeavour to embody the school's 'REACH' values: resilience, engagement, aspiration, communication, and health. They relish the five-step reward programme. It includes receiving a certificate at the 'REACH' assembly or sharing a pizza with the headteacher. Pupils and their families appreciate this approach. It boosts pupils' happiness and sense of being a valued member of the school community.
There are increasing opportunities for pupils to be community minded. The 'safeguarding squad', for example, look out for others. They let trusted adults know if a peer is unhappy or behaving inappropriately. There is also well-thought-through pastoral support. It helps vulnerable pupils express their wishes and feelings. Having peers and adults in school who want to help them, keeps pupils safe.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders have made significant efforts to rebuild the school's relationship with parents and the local community. Many parents appreciate the ongoing improvements. The high turnout at the bonfire night event demonstrated strong support. It highlighted a new era of unity and the school's commitment to bring people together.
The school is currently refining its curriculum. The trust helps the school receive support from subject experts. They assist school-based leaders with developments. The school uses high-quality schemes of work. Leaders determine the most effective teaching and assessment methods. For instance, to ensure pupil success, staff first model the tasks. They then complete one together. This way, when pupils work independently, they know what to do.
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
11.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 63% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 52% to 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
26.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ardley Hill Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ardley Hill Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ardley Hill Academy is in Central Bedfordshire; for families living there:
- Central Bedfordshire's school travel policy: Apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Ardley Hill Academy
Will you get a place at Ardley Hill Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ardley Hill Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ardley Hill Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ardley Hill Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ardley Hill Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Central Bedfordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
95%
Near capacity
397 pupils
420 places
23 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dunstable
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dunstable
Across Central Bedfordshire council
Places available
4,158
Applications
3,678
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across Central Bedfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
46
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
14.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
422
Total Pupils
216
Boys
206
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
22.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,469
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,004
Per pupil
£2124k
Total funding
£61k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
13.7%
Persistent absence
358
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Ardley Hill Academy
What are SATs results like at Ardley Hill Academy?
Of the pupils at Ardley Hill Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is Ardley Hill Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ardley Hill Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2022 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Ardley Hill Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Ardley Hill Academy is oversubscribed, Central Bedfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Ardley Hill Academy?
Ardley Hill Academy was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Ardley Hill Academy?
Classes at Ardley Hill Academy average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ardley Hill Academy?
Ardley Hill Academy has around 422 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ardley Hill Academy?
5.5% of sessions were missed at Ardley Hill Academy in 2024/25. 13.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ardley Hill Academy?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Ardley Hill Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Ardley Hill Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ardley Hill Academy?
Ardley Hill Academy is at Lowther Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3NZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)