Goldington Academy, Bedford

Ofsted's report card from its 12 May 2026 inspection grades Goldington Academy on 6 areas: 6 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils achieve highly in national assessments at the end of Year 11."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils' attendance is excellent."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "There is an aspirational and broad curriculum."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have established clear and robust systems to ensure pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or those who are disadvantaged, are fully included in the life of the school."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "The long-term, stable leadership has built up an exemplary culture over time."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have put in place a wide and comprehensive personal development offer."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue their work to ensure that teaching consistently develops independent thinking and self-regulation, particularly in the learning of younger pupils, so that it has a transformational impact on their achievement and experiences".

In 2026, pupils at Goldington Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 52, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45 in Bedford and 47 across England.

60% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Bedford and 47% in England.

That is down from 54.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.85: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 39.1, against 55.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 272 families put Goldington Academy as their first choice and 556 named it as one of their preferences, for 182 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 90 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Goldington Academy are Castle Newnham School (0.4 miles, Attainment 8 44.8); Castle Newnham School (0.5 miles); Mark Rutherford School (1.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.7); and Bedford Free School (1.3 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51).

Goldington Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

Goldington Academy is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 173 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 51% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

In 2026, 120 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 15 (1.6%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Bedford St Johns Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Honiton Way (opposite), 120 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Goldington Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 228 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Bedford (136), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Goldington Academy issued 36 suspensions, 3.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Goldington Academy are St John Rigby Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), Hazeldene School (0.4 miles), The Hills Academy (0.4 miles) and Goldington Green Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.