Dunstable Icknield Lower School, Dunstable
Dunstable Icknield Lower School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Dunstable, part of Scholars' Education Trust. It was 90% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Dunstable Icknield Lower School in detail
Getting a place at Dunstable Icknield Lower School
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put Dunstable Icknield Lower School as their first choice and 87 named it as one of their preferences, for 38 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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Dunstable Icknield Lower School are Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School (0.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 77% maths); Watling Lower School (0.4 miles); Lark Rise Academy (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 98% reading, 95% maths); and Beecroft Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 68% reading, 66% maths).
Ashton St Peter's VA C of E SchoolWatling Lower SchoolLark Rise AcademyBeecroft Academy
The trust
Dunstable Icknield Lower School is one of 13 schools run by Scholars' Education Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
15.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 52.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (36%), Asian (20%) and Mixed (12%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leagrave Rail Station, about 3.2 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Marys Church (opposite), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 255 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, Dunstable Icknield Lower School issued 39 suspensions, 12.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Dunstable Icknield Lower School are Queensbury Academy (0.4 miles), Priory Academy (0.4 miles), All Saints Academy Dunstable (0.9 miles) and Manshead Church of England Academy (1.4 miles).
Queensbury AcademyPriory AcademyAll Saints Academy DunstableManshead Church of England Academy
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
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
Dunstable Icknield Lower School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in November 2024. Before that, as Dunstable Icknield Lower School (URN 109444), it was rated Requires Improvement in November 2023.
At a Glance
15.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
26.5
Avg class size
26.3
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Dunstable Icknield Lower School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Dunstable Icknield Lower School.
- Kidz Zone ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Dunstable Learning Centre350m away · Not yet graded
- Dunstable Kumon Centre420m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Dunstable Icknield Lower School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dunstable Icknield 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
- 49
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 39 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School
Will you get a place at Dunstable Icknield Lower School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dunstable Icknield Lower School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dunstable Icknield Lower School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dunstable Icknield 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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School for 2025 and 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
90%
Near capacity
271 pupils
300 places
29 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dunstable
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dunstable
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
62
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
26.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
295
Total Pupils
144
Boys
151
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
19.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,776
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,587
Per pupil
£1739k
Total funding
£61k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
14.2%
Persistent absence
246
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Dunstable Icknield Lower School
Questions parents ask about Dunstable Icknield Lower School
What is Dunstable Icknield Lower School's Ofsted rating?
Dunstable Icknield Lower School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in November 2024. Before that, as Dunstable Icknield Lower School (URN 109444), it was rated Requires Improvement in November 2023.
What is the catchment area for Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
No fixed boundary. When Dunstable Icknield 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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
Dunstable Icknield Lower School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 300 places.
How big are the classes at Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
Classes at Dunstable Icknield Lower School average 26.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
Dunstable Icknield Lower School has around 295 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
6% of sessions were missed at Dunstable Icknield Lower School in 2024/25. 14.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Dunstable Icknield 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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Kidz Zone Club (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 39 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 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 Dunstable Icknield Lower School?
Dunstable Icknield Lower School is at Burr Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3AG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)