Marston Vale Middle School, Bedford

Requires Improvement
Secondary
Academy converter
Mixed
Ages 913

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.6km)Possible (~2.3km)Unlikely (~3.0km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Simon Wathen
Pupils:563 / 609 capacity
LA:Bedford
Phone:01234768224
Address:The Crescent, Stewartby, Bedford, MK43 9NH
Trust:CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST
Status:open
Opened:1 February 2017

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Inspected 8 October 2024View full report
URN:145861
UKPRN:10067187
Constituency:Mid Bedfordshire
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its February 2018 inspection — unchanged since its previous inspection.

Rated Good for

Leadership & management.

A plain-English summary of the full inspection report is coming soon.

At a Glance

22.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

127 responses
Would recommend77%
Child is happy86%
Well taught77%
Good progress78%
Feels safe89%
Well behaved82%
Bullying dealt with17%
Kept informed74%
Handles concerns55%
Wider development65%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+9ppMaths+3ppWriting+12pp

Reading has improved from 62% to 71%. Maths has remained stable at around 62%. Writing has improved from 61% to 73%.

Class Sizes

26.0

Avg class size

22

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Stewartby Rail Station (Entrance)
627m · 10 min walk

Bus Stops

Marston Vale Middle School (o/s)
28m · 0 min walk
Stewartby Stores (o/s)
237m · 4 min walk
Montgomery Close (adj)
283m · 5 min walk
Village Hall (o/s)
312m · 5 min walk
Brickworks (o/s)
331m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

92%

Near capacity

563 pupils

609 capacity

46 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Bedford

Medium pressure
New homes approved:9,345
Projected new pupils:1,682

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bedford

Admissions Demand - Bedford

Low demand0.88x oversubscription

Places available

2,346

Applications

2,069

Got 1st preference

84.1%

Got preferred school

96.7%

Secondary admissions across Bedford (2025/26)

Inspection History(3)

8 October 2024
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
7 June 2022
7 February 2018
Requires ImprovementReport
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

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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

6.36084%

Overall absence

18.48739%

Persistent absence

595

Enrolments

Authorised4.54299%
Unauthorised1.81784%
Persistent (10%+)18.48739%
Severe (50%+)1.51261%

Absence trend

4.9994%
18/19
3.56618%
20/21
7.50192%
21/22
7.54963%
22/23
7.31113%
23/24
6.36084%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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