Camestone School, Bedford
Camestone School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bedford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 48th-highest of the 53 schools in Bedford with published results, and 13,005th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- 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 Bedford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Camestone School in detail
Camestone School in its own words
The school runs after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Camestone School reached the expected standard in reading and 52% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 70% in Bedford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 81% in reading and 76% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Camestone School
For September 2026 entry, 46 families put Camestone School as their first choice and 103 named it as one of their preferences, for 53 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 Camestone School are Springfield Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 69% reading, 57% maths); Bedford Road Primary Academy (0.5 miles, 73% reading, 54% maths); Cauldwell School (0.7 miles, Good, 87% reading, 92% maths); and Balliol Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 57% reading, 49% maths).
Camestone School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Springfield Primary SchoolBedford Road Primary AcademyCauldwell SchoolBalliol Primary School
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 Bedford St Johns Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Jowitt Avenue (adjacent), 170 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Camestone School issued 10 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Camestone School are Daubeney Academy (0.3 miles), Kempston Academy (1.2 miles), Bedford Free School (1.3 miles) and Bedford Academy (1.4 miles).
Daubeney AcademyKempston AcademyBedford Free SchoolBedford Academy
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); 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from April 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2017 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
11.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 81% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 76% to 52% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 83% to 70% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.2
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
29.3
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Camestone School
Newsletters - 2nd October 2026
2 Oct 2026
Newsletters - 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Newsletters - 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletters - 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletters - 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
Go to this S
From Camestone School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Camestone School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Camestone School.
- Junior Adventures Group @ Springfield570m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Camestone 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Camestone School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Camestone 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
- 21
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 19 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
5 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 Camestone School
Will you get a place at Camestone School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Camestone School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Camestone School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Camestone School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Bedford, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Camestone 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
99%
Near capacity
414 pupils
420 places
6 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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
51
SEN Support
19
EHC Plans
17.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
408
Total Pupils
225
Boys
183
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
24
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,680
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,012
Per pupil
£2253k
Total funding
£62k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
7.2%
Persistent absence
362
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 Camestone School
What are SATs results like at Camestone School?
Of the pupils at Camestone School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 52% did so in maths.
What is Camestone School's Ofsted rating?
Camestone School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Camestone School?
No fixed boundary. When Camestone 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 Camestone School?
Camestone School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Camestone School?
Classes at Camestone School average 29.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Camestone School?
Camestone School has around 408 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Camestone School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Camestone School in 2024/25. 7.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Camestone School?
Apply through Bedford's coordinated admissions process, naming Camestone 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 Camestone School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Camestone School: Junior Adventures Group @ Springfield (570m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Camestone School's term dates?
Camestone 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 Camestone School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 19 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 5 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 Camestone School?
Camestone School is at Jowitt Avenue, Kempston, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 8NW.
Sources: Bedford term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)