John Donne Church of England Primary School, Bedford
John Donne Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bedford. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 51st-highest of the 53 schools in Bedford with published results, and 14,101st of 14,452 across England. It was 51% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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
John Donne Church of England Primary School in detail
John Donne Church of England Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Providing excellence and enjoyment for everyone within a happy, safe and Christian environment. I am delighted to welcome you to our school. Starting school is an exciting time for you and your family and you will be welcomed into John Donne with care, love and support."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £12.50 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils at John Donne Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 35% 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 83% in reading and 42% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at John Donne Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put John Donne Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 23 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to John Donne Church of England Primary School are Maple Tree Primary School (1 mile, Good, 79% reading, 71% maths); Moggerhanger Primary School (1.3 miles, Good, 69% reading, 62% maths); Laburnum Primary School (1.5 miles, 78% reading, 81% maths); and Robert Peel Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 79% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than John Donne Church of England Primary School.
Maple Tree Primary SchoolMoggerhanger Primary SchoolLaburnum Primary SchoolRobert Peel Primary School
Who goes there
16% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 23 pupils (19.3%) received SEN support and 2 (1.7%) 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.
Staffing
John Donne Church of England Primary School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sandy Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brickhill Close (adjacent), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 21 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, John Donne Church of England Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 4 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its November 2023 inspection.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement), Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
16.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 83% to 59% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 42% to 35% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
16.1
Avg class size
18.3
Infant (KS1)
16.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with John Donne Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near John Donne Church of England Primary School.
- John Donne Play Active ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to John Donne Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. John Donne Church of England Primary 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 0 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
0 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at John Donne Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against John Donne Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for John Donne Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to John Donne Church of England Primary 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 John Donne Church of England Primary 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.
£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
51%
Available places
107 pupils
210 places
103 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(8)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
21.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
119
Total Pupils
56
Boys
63
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
14.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,542
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,965
Per pupil
£715k
Total funding
£23k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
14.1%
Persistent absence
85
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
John Donne Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about John Donne Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at John Donne Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at John Donne Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 59% reached the expected standard in reading and 35% did so in maths.
What is John Donne Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
John Donne Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for John Donne Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When John Donne Church of England Primary 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School?
John Donne Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 51% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at John Donne Church of England Primary School?
Classes at John Donne Church of England Primary School average 16.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to John Donne Church of England Primary School?
John Donne Church of England Primary School has around 119 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at John Donne Church of England Primary School?
5.5% of sessions were missed at John Donne Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 14.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to John Donne Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming John Donne Church of England Primary 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: John Donne Play Active Club (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near John Donne Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 0 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 0 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 John Donne Church of England Primary School?
John Donne Church of England Primary School is at High Street, Blunham, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 3NL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)