Lime Tree Primary Academy, Houghton Regis
Lime Tree Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Houghton Regis, part of Tennyson Learning Community. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 28th-highest of the 51 schools in Central Bedfordshire with published results, and 10,901st of 14,452 across England. It was 70% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Lime Tree Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Lime Tree Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 60% 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 97% in reading and 86% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Lime Tree Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 51 families put Lime Tree Primary Academy as their first choice and 94 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 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 Lime Tree Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lime Tree Primary Academy are St Vincent's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 93% reading, 80% maths); Thornhill Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 78% reading, 85% maths); Tithe Farm Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 58% reading, 54% maths); and Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 61% reading, 57% maths).
Lime Tree Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Vincent's Catholic Primary SchoolThornhill Primary SchoolTithe Farm Primary SchoolThomas Whitehead Church of England Academy
The trust
Lime Tree Primary Academy is one of 2 schools run by Tennyson Learning Community, an academy trust.
Who goes there
47.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (44%), Black (14%) and Asian (14%).
In 2026, 58 pupils (16.1%) received SEN support and 5 (1.4%) 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
Lime Tree Primary Academy had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 25 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leagrave Rail Station, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lime Tree Primary Academy (opposite), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 193 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. 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, Lime Tree Primary Academy issued 13 suspensions, 4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lime Tree Primary Academy are Houstone School (0.3 miles), The Chalk Hills Academy (1.2 miles) and All Saints Academy Dunstable (1.4 miles).
Houstone SchoolThe Chalk Hills AcademyAll Saints Academy Dunstable
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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils take great pride in being part of this school. They are kind and welcoming. They delight in showing their good manners around the school, such as by holding open doors without prompting. From the early years, children show great consideration for each other.
In lessons, pupils behave well and are attentive. They know their teachers want them to do well. However, pupils have not always achieved as well as they should. They work quietly with whatever tasks their teachers give them. They explore new vocabulary and learn new skills. Occasionally, these tasks are a bit too complicated. When this happens, pupils wait sensibly for help or willingly have a go but do not do as well as they could.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The trust has a clear, ambitious vision for the school. Working with governors and staff, they are making the right changes to improve things for pupils. They are building a committed team with pupils at the heart of their work.
The curriculum is developing rapidly. Where the curriculum is most effective, the school's planning is detailed and sets out what pupils will learn and need to know at every stage. In these subjects, teachers get the right training and support to teach the curriculum well. They check what pupils have understood and remembered before introducing new ideas. Teachers provide the right resources to help pupils understand tricky concepts. They give pupils plenty of practice with key skills, such as number bonds, to help them become confident and fluent. In these subjects, pupils are developing their knowledge well from their starting points. They make strong progress.
From Ofsted's February 2024 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 February 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
27.5%
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 97% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 86% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 51% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.2
Avg class size
27.5
Infant (KS1)
25.6
KS2
13
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 Lime Tree Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Lime Tree Primary Academy.
- Kidz Zone Club650m away · Not yet graded
Nurseries
Kidz Zone Club - Lime Tree Academy is at Lime Tree Primary Academy.
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Lime Tree Primary Academy, with their latest published grades:
- Priory Parkside Pre-school - Pre-school, 0.2 milesOfsted, 16 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Cleverkidz - Day nursery, 0.6 milesOfsted report card, 15 April 2026: Expected standard in 2 areas, Needs attention in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Lewsey Nursery - Day nursery, 0.8 milesOfsted, 17 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Pebbles Pre-School - Day nursery, 0.9 milesOfsted report card, 24 September 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Houghton Regis - Day nursery, 1.5 milesOfsted, 8 January 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lime Tree Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lime Tree Primary Academy is in Central Bedfordshire; for families living there:
- Central Bedfordshire's school travel policy: Apply for school transport
- How to apply: Apply now for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 7 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Lime Tree Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Lime Tree Primary Academy?
For 2026 entry it had 51 first choices for 59 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
70%
Available places
294 pupils
420 places
126 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Dunstable and Houghton Regis Primary planning area (Central Bedfordshire) will have 1,054 spare primary places in 2027/28. In the year groups that are short, it estimates 52 additional places needed.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
58
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
17.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
360
Total Pupils
173
Boys
187
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
30.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,459
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,737
Per pupil
£1878k
Total funding
£109k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.9%
Overall absence
18.5%
Persistent absence
270
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
Lime Tree Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Lime Tree Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Lime Tree Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Lime Tree Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 60% did so in maths.
What is Lime Tree Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Lime Tree Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
Is it hard to get a place at Lime Tree Primary Academy?
Lime Tree Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 70% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Lime Tree Primary Academy?
Classes at Lime Tree Primary Academy average 25.2 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils.
How many pupils go to Lime Tree Primary Academy?
Lime Tree Primary Academy has around 360 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lime Tree Primary Academy?
5.9% of sessions were missed at Lime Tree Primary Academy in 2024/25. 18.5% of pupils were persistently absent.
Does Lime Tree Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Lime Tree Primary Academy: Kidz Zone Club (650m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Lime Tree Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 7 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Lime Tree Primary Academy?
Lime Tree Primary Academy is at Parkside Drive, Houghton Regis, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, LU5 5QN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)