King's Oak Primary School, Bedford

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 111

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~720m)Possible (~1.0km)Unlikely (~1.3km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Robert Morley-Smith
Pupils:826 / 936 capacity
LA:Bedford
Phone:01234220480
Address:Oak Road, Bedford, MK42 0HH
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:109502
UKPRN:10077319
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Bedford
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

King's Oak excels at welcoming and including all pupils, regardless of their background, ability, or when they join the school. The teaching is particularly strong, with staff expertly explaining new ideas and quickly spotting when pupils need extra help. The school is especially impressive in its early years provision and specialist support for pupils with additional needs, using creative approaches like forest school and the on-site farm to help all children thrive.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent curriculum design with clear focus on language, communication, and key knowledge in English and mathematics
  • Highly effective teaching with strong use of modelling, recapping prior learning, and responsive adjustments to address gaps
  • Outstanding early years provision with well-sequenced learning and early identification of barriers to support children's readiness
  • Robust inclusion systems with specialist support and bespoke provision for pupils with SEND, including forest school and on-site farm activities
  • Strong leadership with ambitious vision, rigorous monitoring systems, and rapid response to areas needing improvement

Areas for Improvement

  • Some pupils' knowledge in certain subjects remains less secure
  • Variable quality of pupils' work across the school
  • Handwriting and some aspects of writing development still need strengthening despite recent focus
  • Overall school attendance remains below national average, though improving for specific groups
  • Some pupils still do not attend regularly enough

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has established an open culture of safeguarding where concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

School council, free clubs tailored to pupil interests, local area trips, workshops, dress-up days, virtual-reality Stone Age day, mobile planetarium, Farm day events, forest school, on-site farm visits

King's Oak Primary School is a large, diverse primary school that has achieved strong standards across curriculum, teaching, early years provision, inclusion, and leadership. The school has made notable improvements in pupil outcomes and attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs.

At a Glance

42.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+1ppMaths+2ppWriting+1pp

Reading has remained stable at around 73%. Maths has remained stable at around 71%. Writing has remained stable at around 78%.

Class Sizes

27.2

Avg class size

28.2

Infant (KS1)

28.7

KS2

27

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Oak Road (adj)
220m · 4 min walk
John Bunyan Upper School (opp)
352m · 6 min walk
Catholic Church (opp)
358m · 6 min walk
Moulton Avenue (opp)
370m · 6 min walk
Alamein Avenue (adj)
378m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

88%

Available places

826 pupils

936 capacity

110 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Bedford

Medium pressure
New homes approved:9,345
Projected new pupils:2,336

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bedford

Admissions Demand - Bedford

Low demand0.78x oversubscription

Places available

2,690

Applications

2,103

Got 1st preference

93.6%

Got preferred school

99.3%

Primary admissions across Bedford (2025/26)

Inspection History(110)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.03052%

Overall absence

19.2846%

Persistent absence

643

Enrolments

Authorised5.24606%
Unauthorised0.78446%
Persistent (10%+)19.2846%
Severe (50%+)0.46656%

Absence trend

4.37984%
18/19
4.87426%
20/21
7.36619%
21/22
7.52819%
22/23
6.41954%
23/24
6.03052%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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