Lawnside Academy, Biggleswade
Lawnside Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Biggleswade, part of Bedfordshire Schools Trust Limited. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. It was 63% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Lawnside Academy in detail
Lawnside Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Lawnside Academy is part of the Bedfordshire Schools Trust (BEST), a multi-academy trust providing exceptional education across a community of 11 schools and five nurseries. BEST offers an extensive range of dedicated shared services in place to support its schools and nurseries. Centralised services include: Finance, Human Resources, Estates Management, Communications and School Improvement."
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Lawnside Academy
For September 2026 entry, 61 families put Lawnside Academy as their first choice and 160 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lawnside Academy are St Andrew's CofE VC Primary School (0.4 miles, Good); Biggleswade Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 75% maths); Caldecote Church of England Academy (1.8 miles, Good); and Langford Village Academy (2.1 miles, Good, 76% reading, 67% maths).
St Andrew's CofE VC Primary SchoolBiggleswade AcademyCaldecote Church of England AcademyLangford Village Academy
The trust
Lawnside Academy is one of 12 schools run by Bedfordshire Schools Trust Limited, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
8.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%) and Mixed (11%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Biggleswade Rail Station, about 470 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hitchmead Road (nw-bound), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 127 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Lawnside Academy issued 26 suspensions, 12 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lawnside Academy are Stratton School (0.3 miles) and Edward Peake CofE VC School (0.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
23.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
27.8
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
26.5
KS2
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Lawnside Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Lawnside Academy.
- Rising Stars Wrap Around Clubs LtdAt the school · Not yet graded
- Lawnside Premier Holiday CampAt the school · Not yet graded
- Junior Adventures Group @ Biggleswade Academy840m away · Not yet graded
- Theatretrain Biggleswade840m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lawnside Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lawnside Academy 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
- 20
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 17 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Lawnside Academy
Will you get a place at Lawnside Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lawnside Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lawnside Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lawnside Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lawnside Academy for 2019 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
63%
Available places
225 pupils
360 places
135 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Biggleswade
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Biggleswade
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
44
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
21.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
283
Total Pupils
144
Boys
139
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
21.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,253
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,359
Per pupil
£1296k
Total funding
£79k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.9%
Overall absence
20.3%
Persistent absence
187
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
Lawnside Academy
Questions parents ask about Lawnside Academy
What is Lawnside Academy's Ofsted rating?
Lawnside Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2017 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Lawnside Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Lawnside Academy 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 Lawnside Academy?
Lawnside Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 360 places.
How big are the classes at Lawnside Academy?
Classes at Lawnside Academy average 27.8 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Lawnside Academy?
Lawnside Academy has around 283 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lawnside Academy?
6.9% of sessions were missed at Lawnside Academy in 2024/25. 20.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lawnside Academy?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Lawnside Academy 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 Lawnside Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs at the school: Rising Stars Wrap Around Clubs Ltd (registered, not yet graded) and Lawnside Premier Holiday Camp (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Lawnside Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 17 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Lawnside Academy?
Lawnside Academy is at Lawnside, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 0LX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)