Leedon Lower School, Leighton Buzzard

Ofsted's report card from its 28 April 2026 inspection grades Leedon Lower School on 7 areas: 5 needs attention and 2 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Attendance overall has been historically low and remains below national averages."

Early years - Needs attention. "Currently, the pre-school curriculum is not detailed enough about what children should know in readiness for learning in Reception."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "New leaders have worked at pace to accurately identify pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "The school is emerging from a period of turbulence regarding leadership changes."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "While the school has a personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum and relationships and sex education curriculum in place that meet statutory requirements, these are generally not taught as well as leaders intend."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Pupils do not achieve as well as they should."

Curriculum and teaching - Urgent improvement. "There are too many weaknesses in how well pupils are taught."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "The school needs to significantly raise the expectations of what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, can achieve so that gaps in reading, writing and mathematics close quickly. Leaders, including governors, need to check that this is happening"; "Leaders need to ensure that teachers use assessment to inform the next steps in teaching and adapt learning so that pupils succeed across the whole curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND have targets set that are specific and matched to their needs so they make suitable progress from their starting points"; "Leaders should ensure that their strategies continue to improve attendance, especially for persistent absentees"; "Leaders need to ensure that the order and detail of what children in early years need to know is explicit from the start of pre-school to the end of Reception to ensure that staff build and extend on children's prior learning more precisely"; "Governors need to tighten their strategic oversight and strengthen how well they hold leaders to account for all aspects of the school's work, especially standards in education, pupils' wider opportunities and preparation for life in modern Britain".

From the headteacher's welcome: "I am delighted to welcome you and your children to Leedon Lower School. Leedon is a school of approximately 350 pupils aged between 2 and 9 years old. We have 2 classes in each year group."

The school runs after-school care until 4:00pm, from £2.70 per day.

Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 2pm, an open day on Wednesday 11 November 2026, an open day on Tuesday 17 November 2026 at 10.30am and an open day on Thursday 19 November 2026 at 9am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

For September 2026 entry, 38 families put Leedon Lower School as their first choice and 114 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Leedon Lower School are Clipstone Brook Lower School (0.3 miles, Good); Beaudesert Lower School (0.6 miles, Good); The Rushmere Park Academy (0.8 miles, Good); and Pulford CofE VA Lower School (0.9 miles, Good).

The nearest railway station is Leighton Buzzard Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Highfield Road (nw-bound), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Leedon Lower School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 8th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 182 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Leedon Lower School issued 55 suspensions, 15 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Leedon Lower School are Brooklands Middle School (0.2 miles), Gilbert Inglefield Academy (0.8 miles), Vandyke Upper School (0.9 miles) and Leighton Middle School (0.9 miles).