Holywell School, Bedford
Holywell School is a secondary school for pupils aged 9 to 13 in Bedford, part of Holywell Church of England Academy. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 34th-highest of the 53 schools in Bedford with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Capacity
- 99% full
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Holywell School in detail
Holywell School in its own words
In its own words: "Holywell School is a caring, distinctively Christian, community-focussed Church of England School. Holywell is a 9-13 Middle School with 720 students in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. We aim to continue the historic tradition of Church of England Schools by providing a Christian Values-inspired education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at Holywell School reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 66% in Central Bedfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 72% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Holywell School
Across Central Bedfordshire, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 96% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Central Bedfordshire lodged 144 appeals against secondary school offers; 129 reached a hearing and 35 succeeded (27.1% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Holywell School are Wootton Academy (3.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8); Brooklands Academy (3.3 miles); Glebe Farm School (3.7 miles); and Marston Vale Middle School (3.9 miles, Requires improvement).
Wootton AcademyBrooklands AcademyGlebe Farm SchoolMarston Vale Middle School
The trust
Holywell School is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Who goes there
7.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (67%), Mixed (9%) and Asian (6%).
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 Cross Keys (opposite), 160 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, Holywell School issued 70 suspensions, 9.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from October 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
17.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.14%
Exclusion rate
70
Suspensions
9.85%
Suspension rate
34 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 711 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Holywell School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Holywell School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Holywell 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
- 2
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.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
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
Will you get a place at Holywell School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Holywell School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Holywell School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Holywell School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
710 pupils
720 places
10 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
1,710
Applications
1,502
Got 1st preference
91.0%
Got preferred school
95.9%
All secondary applications across Central Bedfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
105
SEN Support
23
EHC Plans
19.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
668
Total Pupils
341
Boys
327
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
40
Teachers
16.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,490
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,588
Per pupil
£4271k
Total funding
£152k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
15.3%
Persistent absence
733
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Holywell School
Questions parents ask about Holywell School
What are SATs results like at Holywell School?
Of the pupils at Holywell School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is Holywell School's Ofsted rating?
Holywell School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Holywell School?
No fixed boundary. When Holywell 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 Holywell School?
Holywell School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Holywell School?
Classes at Holywell School average 26.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Holywell School?
Holywell School has around 668 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Holywell School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Holywell School in 2024/25. 15.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Holywell School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Holywell School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Holywell 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. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 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 Holywell School?
Holywell School is at Red Lion Close, Cranfield, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 0JA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)