Harlington Lower School, Dunstable
Harlington Lower School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 9 in Dunstable, part of The Pyramid Schools Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2023. It was 93% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- 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
Harlington Lower School in detail
Getting a place at Harlington Lower School
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put Harlington Lower School as their first choice and 58 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Harlington Lower School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Harlington Lower School are Westoning Lower School (1.1 miles); Sundon Lower School (2 miles, Good); Toddington St George Church of England School (2.2 miles, Good); and Flitwick Lower School (2.3 miles, Good).
Westoning Lower SchoolSundon Lower SchoolToddington St George Church of England SchoolFlitwick Lower School
The trust
Harlington Lower School is one of 10 schools run by The Pyramid Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
11.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%), Asian (8%) and Mixed (8%).
In 2026, 14 pupils (10.8%) received SEN support and 1 (0.8%) 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.
Staffing
Harlington Lower School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Harlington (Beds) Rail Station, about 550 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Glebe Gardens (adjacent), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Harlington Lower School 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 7 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, other theft and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Harlington Lower School issued 7 suspensions, 5 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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its December 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
11.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
24.7
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Harlington Lower School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Harlington Lower School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Harlington 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
2 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 Harlington Lower School
Will you get a place at Harlington Lower School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Harlington Lower School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Harlington Lower School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Harlington 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 Harlington 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
93%
Near capacity
140 pupils
150 places
10 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
14
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
11.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
130
Total Pupils
60
Boys
70
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
14.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,056
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,430
Per pupil
£832k
Total funding
£9k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
10.2%
Persistent absence
118
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
Harlington Lower School
Questions parents ask about Harlington Lower School
What is Harlington Lower School's Ofsted rating?
Harlington Lower School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2010 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Harlington Lower School?
No fixed boundary. When Harlington 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 Harlington Lower School?
Harlington Lower School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 150 places.
How big are the classes at Harlington Lower School?
Classes at Harlington Lower School average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Harlington Lower School?
Harlington Lower School has around 130 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Harlington Lower School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Harlington Lower School in 2024/25. 10.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Harlington Lower School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Harlington 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.
How many road collisions happen near Harlington Lower School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 2 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 Harlington Lower School?
Harlington Lower School is at Westoning Road, Harlington, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 6PD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)