Clipstone Brook Lower School, Leighton Buzzard
Clipstone Brook Lower School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Leighton Buzzard. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. It was 76% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
Clipstone Brook Lower School in detail
Getting a place at Clipstone Brook Lower School
For September 2026 entry, 45 families put Clipstone Brook Lower School as their first choice and 160 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Clipstone Brook Lower School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Clipstone Brook Lower School are Leedon Lower School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement); The Rushmere Park Academy (0.5 miles, Good); Pulford CofE VA Lower School (0.6 miles, Good); and The Mary Bassett Lower School (0.6 miles, Good).
Leedon Lower SchoolThe Rushmere Park AcademyPulford CofE VA Lower SchoolThe Mary Bassett Lower School
What parents say
64 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Clipstone Brook Lower School (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 56% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (56%).
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.
In 2026, 40 pupils (13.1%) received SEN support and 7 (2.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leighton Buzzard Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brooklands Middle School (ne-bound), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Clipstone Brook Lower School 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 214 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, Clipstone Brook Lower School issued 10 suspensions, 3.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Clipstone Brook Lower School are Brooklands Middle School (0.2 miles), Leighton Middle School (0.6 miles), Gilbert Inglefield Academy (0.7 miles) and Vandyke Upper School (0.8 miles).
Brooklands Middle SchoolLeighton Middle SchoolGilbert Inglefield AcademyVandyke Upper School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Clipstone Brook Lower School excels at teaching reading, with well-trained staff ensuring pupils develop confidence and fluency. The school creates a caring community where kindness is central to its values, and pupils feel safe and supported. The outdoor wooded learning area and purposeful activities keep children engaged and enthusiastic about their learning.
Key Strengths
- Well-developed curriculum that builds knowledge securely through logical progression
- Strong phonics teaching with swift intervention for pupils who fall behind
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, helping them achieve well from their starting points
- Positive conduct and respectful behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes
- Effective personal development programme that builds confident, well-rounded individuals
Areas for Improvement
- Early writing instruction needs sharper focus - pupils do not progress as strongly through the writing curriculum
- Some pupils lack secure early writing knowledge such as spelling, affecting their readiness for advanced tasks
- Staff expertise in delivering early writing curriculum needs strengthening
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff and pupils looking out for each other and the school being trusted as a very safe place.
Extracurricular Activities
Outdoor wooded learning area, school elections, buddy roles for older pupils
Clipstone Brook Lower School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. Pupils enjoy attending and are proud of the school's values of being ready, respectful, and safe.
At a Glance
11.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
64 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
27.5
Avg class size
28.8
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Clipstone Brook Lower School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Clipstone Brook Lower School.
- Kik-Back Ltd760m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Clipstone Brook Lower School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Clipstone Brook Lower School 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
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 10 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
4 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 Clipstone Brook Lower School
Will you get a place at Clipstone Brook Lower School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Clipstone Brook Lower School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Clipstone Brook Lower School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Clipstone Brook Lower School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Clipstone Brook Lower School 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
76%
Available places
284 pupils
375 places
91 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leighton Buzzard
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leighton Buzzard
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
15.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
306
Total Pupils
151
Boys
155
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,252
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,224
Per pupil
£1627k
Total funding
£47k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
15.1%
Persistent absence
238
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 Clipstone Brook Lower School
What is Clipstone Brook Lower School's Ofsted rating?
Clipstone Brook Lower School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Clipstone Brook Lower School?
No fixed boundary. When Clipstone Brook Lower School 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 Clipstone Brook Lower School?
Clipstone Brook Lower School was not full in 2025: it ran at 76% of its 375 places.
How big are the classes at Clipstone Brook Lower School?
Classes at Clipstone Brook Lower School average 27.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Clipstone Brook Lower School?
Clipstone Brook Lower School has around 306 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Clipstone Brook Lower School?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Clipstone Brook Lower School in 2024/25. 15.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Clipstone Brook Lower School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Clipstone Brook 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 Clipstone Brook Lower School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Clipstone Brook Lower School: Kik-Back Ltd (760m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Clipstone Brook Lower School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 10 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 4 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 Clipstone Brook Lower School?
Clipstone Brook Lower School is at Brooklands Drive, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 3PG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)