Broadmead Lower School is proposed to close (Tuesday 31 August 2027).
The Department for Education lists this school as open but proposed to close. Check with the school or the council before applying.
Broadmead Lower School, Bedford
Broadmead Lower School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 9 in Bedford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023. It was 78% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bedford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Broadmead Lower School in detail
Broadmead Lower School in its own words
In its own words: "On behalf of everyone at Broadmead Lower School, I am delighted to welcome you to our thriving village school. Broadmead Lower School is a happy, inclusive and vibrant community where children are encouraged to work hard, enjoy learning and achieve their full potential."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Broadmead Lower School
For September 2026 entry, 47 families put Broadmead Lower School as their first choice and 85 named it as one of their preferences, for 49 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Broadmead Lower School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Broadmead Lower School are Houghton Conquest Primary School (1.7 miles, Good); Willow Grove Primary School (1.7 miles); Wootton Primary School (1.8 miles); and Marston Moreteyne VC School (1.8 miles, Good).
Houghton Conquest Primary SchoolWillow Grove Primary SchoolWootton Primary SchoolMarston Moreteyne VC School
Who goes there
7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (60%), Mixed (16%) and Asian (7%).
Staffing
Broadmead Lower School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 26 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Stewartby Rail Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kiln Drive (e-bound), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 19 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and drug offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bedford (136).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Broadmead Lower School issued 0 suspensions, 0 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
19.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
22.8
Avg class size
23.3
Infant (KS1)
22.0
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Broadmead Lower School
Booktastic
5 Jun 2026
Year 3 Cricket
22 May 2026
Year 4 Residential 2026
21 May 2026
Dress 2 Express Day 2025
4 Jul 2025
Wear It Green Day 2025
16 May 2025
Pupil Voice Conference
From Broadmead Lower School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Broadmead Lower School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Broadmead Lower School.
- Premier - BroadmeadAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Broadmead Lower School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Bedford. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Broadmead Lower School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Broadmead Lower School is in Bedford; for families living there:
Apply to Bedford for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- 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, 1 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Bedford is 6 (the median across 85 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 Broadmead Lower School
Will you get a place at Broadmead Lower School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Broadmead Lower School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Broadmead Lower School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Broadmead Lower School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Bedford, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Broadmead Lower School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bedford 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
78%
Available places
234 pupils
300 places
66 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 Bedford council
Places available
2,655
Applications
1,990
Got 1st preference
93.4%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Bedford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
45
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
23.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
228
Total Pupils
99
Boys
129
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
25.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£40,953
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,678
Per pupil
£1567k
Total funding
£62k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.6%
Overall absence
14.5%
Persistent absence
200
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
Broadmead Lower School
Questions parents ask about Broadmead Lower School
What is Broadmead Lower School's Ofsted rating?
Broadmead Lower School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Broadmead Lower School?
No fixed boundary. When Broadmead Lower School is oversubscribed, Bedford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Broadmead Lower School?
Broadmead Lower School was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 300 places.
How big are the classes at Broadmead Lower School?
Classes at Broadmead Lower School average 22.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Broadmead Lower School?
Broadmead Lower School has around 228 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Broadmead Lower School?
6.6% of sessions were missed at Broadmead Lower School in 2024/25. 14.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Broadmead Lower School?
Apply through Bedford's coordinated admissions process, naming Broadmead Lower School 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.
Does Broadmead Lower School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier - Broadmead (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Broadmead Lower School's term dates?
Broadmead Lower School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Bedford. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Broadmead Lower School?
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, 1 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Bedford is 6 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Broadmead Lower School?
Broadmead Lower School is at Park Crescent, Stewartby, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 9NN.
Sources: Bedford term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)