Leighton Middle School, Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Middle School is a secondary school for pupils aged 9 to 13 in Leighton Buzzard. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 6 schools in Leighton Buzzard with published results, and 2,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- 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
Leighton Middle School in detail
Results
In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils at Leighton Middle School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 66% in Central Bedfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 84% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Leighton Middle 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 Leighton Middle School are Linslade School (0.7 miles, Good); Cedars Upper School (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.1); Brooklands Middle School (0.8 miles, Good); and Gilbert Inglefield Academy (1.1 miles).
Linslade SchoolCedars Upper SchoolBrooklands Middle SchoolGilbert Inglefield Academy
Who goes there
11.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 61 pupils (10.2%) received SEN support and 27 (4.5%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leighton Buzzard Rail Station, about 810 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Leighton Middle School (outside), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 181 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. 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, Leighton Middle School issued 11 suspensions, 1.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Leighton Middle School are Pulford CofE VA Lower School (0.1 miles), The Mary Bassett Lower School (0.2 miles), Clipstone Brook Lower School (0.6 miles) and Linslade Lower School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Pulford CofE VA Lower SchoolThe Mary Bassett Lower SchoolClipstone Brook Lower SchoolLinslade Lower School
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
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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from December 2013, 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils thrive at this happy and welcoming school. Staff know pupils exceptionally well. Strong relationships are at the heart of the school. There is a culture of high expectations and mutual respect. Pupils are well looked after and safe here.
In lessons, pupils are enthusiastic, engaged and work hard. Pupils benefit from specialist teaching and facilities from Year 5. They work effectively with their learning partners. Staff encourage pupils to aim high. Pupils achieve well in external assessments in Year 6. By the end of Year 8, they are well prepared for transition to upper school.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has created a broad and ambitious curriculum, which prepares pupils well for upper school. Leaders have carefully considered where pupils start in Year 5 and where they need to be in Year 8. The important knowledge that pupils will learn is clearly set out across all subjects. It is sensibly organised so that pupils build on what they already know.
Teachers use their subject expertise to teach the curriculum well. They explain new ideas clearly. They use careful questioning to identify and close gaps in pupils' understanding.
From Ofsted's April 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its December 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
11.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.17%
Exclusion rate
11
Suspensions
1.83%
Suspension rate
5 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 600 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Leighton Middle School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Leighton Middle School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Leighton Middle 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
- 32
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 29 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
8 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 Leighton Middle School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Leighton Middle School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Leighton Middle School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Leighton Middle 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
595 pupils
600 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leighton Buzzard
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leighton Buzzard
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
61
SEN Support
27
EHC Plans
14.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
597
Total Pupils
302
Boys
295
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
36
Teachers
16.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,836
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,734
Per pupil
£3662k
Total funding
£101k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
9.7%
Persistent absence
609
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
Leighton Middle School
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Leighton Middle School
What are SATs results like at Leighton Middle School?
Of the pupils at Leighton Middle School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 87% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Leighton Middle School's Ofsted rating?
Leighton Middle School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Leighton Middle School?
No fixed boundary. When Leighton Middle 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 Leighton Middle School?
Leighton Middle School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Leighton Middle School?
Classes at Leighton Middle School average 23.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Leighton Middle School?
Leighton Middle School has around 597 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Leighton Middle School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Leighton Middle School in 2024/25. 9.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Leighton Middle School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Leighton Middle 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 Leighton Middle School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 29 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 8 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 Leighton Middle School?
Leighton Middle School is at Church Square, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 1EX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)