Cranfield Church of England Academy, Bedford
Cranfield Church of England Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 9 in Bedford. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. It was 97% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Cranfield Church of England Academy in detail
Cranfield Church of England Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "CCoEA is a large three-form entry primary school with a pre-school, based over two sites serving the growing Bedfordshire village of Cranfield. We are transitioning to a primary school and currently provide places for children from reception to year 5."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £5.50 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Cranfield Church of England Academy
For September 2026 entry, 82 families put Cranfield Church of England Academy as their first choice and 115 named it as one of their preferences, for 86 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 Cranfield Church of England Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cranfield Church of England Academy are North Crawley CofE School (2.4 miles, Good); Marston Moreteyne VC School (2.5 miles, Good); Lidlington Primary School (2.7 miles, Good); and St Mary's Wavendon CofE Primary (3 miles).
North Crawley CofE SchoolMarston Moreteyne VC SchoolLidlington Primary SchoolSt Mary's Wavendon CofE Primary
What parents say
91 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cranfield Church of England Academy (as of September 2025): 78% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 48% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (48%).
Who goes there
5.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%), Mixed (10%) and Black (7%).
In 2026, 45 pupils (8.8%) received SEN support and 18 (3.5%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lidlington Rail Station, about 2.8 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is War Memorial (adjacent), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 31 crimes within a mile of the school, most often burglary, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cranfield Church of England Academy issued 8 suspensions, 1.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2019, 7 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 November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at creating a warm, inclusive community where all children feel valued and safe. Pupils develop strong knowledge across subjects and grow in confidence, particularly in reading and number skills. The school goes above and beyond with outdoor learning opportunities and meaningful leadership roles that help children understand the wider world.
Key Strengths
- Pupils behave well, show respect and feel safe, with strong personal, social and emotional development
- Effective teaching of phonics leads to fluent, confident readers with strong vocabulary
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, with their needs accurately identified and well met
- Wide range of enrichment opportunities including outdoor learning at a nearby farm
- Ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum that engages all pupils and builds strong knowledge
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not consistently spot and correct pupils' spelling and grammatical errors, so mistakes are repeated
- Quality of writing varies across the school, with some pupils struggling to express their ideas clearly and confidently
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Farm-based outdoor learning lessons, pupil parliament, values ambassadors, sports ambassadors, leadership opportunities, breakfast club, after-school club
Cranfield Church of England Academy has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. Pupils thrive in a safe, inclusive environment where they embrace the school's core values of kindness, respect, safety and hard work.
At a Glance
5.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
91 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
27.9
Avg class size
28.9
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
17
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cranfield Church of England Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cranfield Church of England Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cranfield Church of England 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
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
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.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
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 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 Cranfield Church of England Academy
Will you get a place at Cranfield Church of England Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cranfield Church of England Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cranfield Church of England Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cranfield Church of England Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cranfield Church of England Academy 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
97%
Near capacity
438 pupils
450 places
12 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
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
45
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
12.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
511
Total Pupils
266
Boys
245
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
22.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,157
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,162
Per pupil
£2470k
Total funding
£44k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
12.3%
Persistent absence
383
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
Cranfield Church of England Academy
Questions parents ask about Cranfield Church of England Academy
What is Cranfield Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?
Cranfield Church of England Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cranfield Church of England Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Cranfield Church of England 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 Cranfield Church of England Academy?
Cranfield Church of England Academy was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Cranfield Church of England Academy?
Classes at Cranfield Church of England Academy average 27.9 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 Cranfield Church of England Academy?
Cranfield Church of England Academy has around 511 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cranfield Church of England Academy?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Cranfield Church of England Academy in 2024/25. 12.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cranfield Church of England Academy?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Cranfield Church of England Academy 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.
How many road collisions happen near Cranfield Church of England 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, 1 serious and 2 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cranfield Church of England Academy?
Cranfield Church of England Academy is at Court Road, Cranfield, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 0DR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)