Arnold Academy, Bedford
Arnold Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 9 to 13 in Bedford, part of The Pyramid Schools Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 53 schools in Bedford with published results, and 7,353rd of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Capacity
- 97% full
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Arnold Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Arnold Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 74% 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 73% in reading and 71% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Arnold Academy
Across Central Bedfordshire, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 96% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Central Bedfordshire lodged 144 appeals against secondary school offers; 129 reached a hearing and 35 succeeded (27.1% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Arnold Academy are Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.8); Harlington Upper School (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.1); Lea Manor High School (3.3 miles, Attainment 8 42.3); and Lealands High School (3.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.7).
Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science CollegeHarlington Upper SchoolLea Manor High SchoolLealands High School
The trust
Arnold Academy is one of 10 schools run by The Pyramid Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
14.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (66%), Mixed (17%) and Asian (7%).
Arnold Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 6 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Arnold Academy.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rectory Farm (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Arnold Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 19 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Arnold Academy issued 17 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
14.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
17
Suspensions
2.43%
Suspension rate
13 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 699 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Arnold Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Arnold Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Arnold 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 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
Will you get a place at Arnold Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Arnold Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Arnold Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Arnold Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- 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
97%
Near capacity
698 pupils
720 places
22 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bedford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bedford
Across Central Bedfordshire council
Places available
1,710
Applications
1,502
Got 1st preference
91.0%
Got preferred school
95.9%
All secondary applications across Central Bedfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
139
SEN Support
39
EHC Plans
25.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Arnold Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 6 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
704
Total Pupils
371
Boys
333
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
45
Teachers
15.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,315
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,588
Per pupil
£4114k
Total funding
£100k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
13.3%
Persistent absence
712
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Arnold Academy
Questions parents ask about Arnold Academy
What are SATs results like at Arnold Academy?
Of the pupils at Arnold Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 74% did so in maths.
What is Arnold Academy's Ofsted rating?
Arnold Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2023.
What is the catchment area for Arnold Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Arnold 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 Arnold Academy?
Arnold Academy was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Arnold Academy?
Classes at Arnold Academy average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Arnold Academy?
Arnold Academy has around 704 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Arnold Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Arnold Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 6 places, 10 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Arnold Academy?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Arnold Academy in 2024/25. 13.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Arnold Academy?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Arnold Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Arnold Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 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 Arnold Academy?
Arnold Academy is at Hexton Road, Barton-le-Clay, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 4JZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)