Cotton End Forest School, Bedford
Cotton End Forest School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Bedford. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 53 schools in Bedford with published results, and 2,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 58% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bedford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cotton End Forest School in detail
Cotton End Forest School in its own words
In its own words: "Cotton End Lower School converted to Cotton End Primary School in September 2013 The history of Cotton End Lower School On 14th November 1873 the Eastcotts (Cotton End) School Board was formed."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at Cotton End Forest School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 70% in Bedford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 68% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Cotton End Forest School
For September 2026 entry, 48 families put Cotton End Forest School as their first choice and 109 named it as one of their preferences, for 51 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 Cotton End Forest School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cotton End Forest School are Shortstown Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 75% reading, 77% maths); Wilstead Primary School (1.6 miles); Lakeview School (1.7 miles); and Wixams Tree Primary Academy (2.1 miles, Good, 77% reading, 78% maths).
Cotton End Forest School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Shortstown Primary SchoolWilstead Primary SchoolLakeview SchoolWixams Tree Primary Academy
What parents say
106 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cotton End Forest School (as of September 2025): 76% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 49% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (49%).
Who goes there
10.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (61%), Mixed (18%) and Black (8%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bedford St Johns Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Bell (adjacent), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bedford (136).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cotton End Forest School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 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; 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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cotton End Forest School stands out for its unique outdoor learning approach that makes pupils love coming to school and builds their confidence through practical activities like climbing and shelter-building. Pupils make good progress across most subjects with strong achievement in reading, and the school provides excellent support for children with additional needs. The school has successfully improved from its previous rating and now offers a well-planned curriculum where knowledge builds securely.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding outdoor education programme that builds confidence, creativity and life skills through woodland-based learning -
- Strong reading teaching with high achievement standards, supported by effective phonics instruction -
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who make strong progress with well-adapted teaching -
- Well-designed ambitious curriculum that builds pupils' knowledge progressively -
- Strong behaviour and positive school culture where pupils feel safe and settled
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers need clearer guidance on how to check what pupils understand in lessons and give prompt feedback to prevent knowledge gaps -
- Early writing expectations lack ambition - some pupils do not develop secure letter formation and handwriting skills needed for progress
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders creating an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Outdoor woodland learning, anti-bullying ambassador leadership roles, personal, social, health and economic education curriculum
Cotton End Forest School is a primary school that has made significant improvements since its last inspection. The school is rated Good across all key areas, with pupils thriving in its distinctive outdoor learning environment.
At a Glance
17.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
106 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 68% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 77% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 59% to 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
26.8
KS2
15
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Cotton End Forest School
Newsletter- 25/9/2026
28 Sep 2026
Newsletter - 17th July 2026
27 Jul 2026
Newsletter 26th June 2026
26 Jun 2026
Newsletter 12th June 2026
12 Jun 2026
Newsletter - 22nd May 2026
22 May 2026
Newsletter 8th May 2026
8 May 2026
From Cotton End Forest School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Cotton End Forest School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cotton End Forest School.
- Junior Adventures Group @ Cotton EndAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Cotton End Forest 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 Cotton End Forest School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cotton End Forest 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Cotton End Forest School
Will you get a place at Cotton End Forest School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cotton End Forest School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cotton End Forest School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cotton End Forest School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Bedford, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cotton End Forest 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
58%
Available places
366 pupils
630 places
264 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
76
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
22.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
435
Total Pupils
239
Boys
196
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
22.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,634
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,075
Per pupil
£2081k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
9.3%
Persistent absence
321
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Cotton End Forest School
What are SATs results like at Cotton End Forest School?
Of the pupils at Cotton End Forest School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Cotton End Forest School's Ofsted rating?
Cotton End Forest School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Cotton End Forest School?
No fixed boundary. When Cotton End Forest 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 Cotton End Forest School?
Cotton End Forest School was not full in 2025: it ran at 58% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Cotton End Forest School?
Classes at Cotton End Forest School average 29 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Cotton End Forest School?
Cotton End Forest School has around 435 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cotton End Forest School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Cotton End Forest School in 2024/25. 9.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cotton End Forest School?
Apply through Bedford's coordinated admissions process, naming Cotton End Forest 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 Cotton End Forest School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Junior Adventures Group @ Cotton End (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Cotton End Forest School's term dates?
Cotton End Forest 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 Cotton End Forest School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Cotton End Forest School?
Cotton End Forest School is at High Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 3AG.
Sources: Bedford term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)