Parkfields Middle School, Dunstable
Parkfields Middle School is a secondary school for pupils aged 9 to 13 in Dunstable, part of The Pyramid Schools Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 20 schools in Dunstable with published results, and 9,396th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Capacity
- Full
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Parkfields Middle School in detail
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Parkfields Middle School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 66% in Central Bedfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (78% in reading, 72% in maths).
Getting a place at Parkfields 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 Parkfields Middle School are Harlington Upper School (2.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.1); Houstone School (2.9 miles, Attainment 8 48.7); Lealands High School (3.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.7); and All Saints Academy Dunstable (3.8 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 35.7).
Harlington Upper SchoolHoustone SchoolLealands High SchoolAll Saints Academy Dunstable
The trust
Parkfields Middle School is one of 10 schools run by The Pyramid Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
11.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.9% 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 (8%).
Parkfields Middle School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Harlington (Beds) Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Manor Road (adjacent), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 25 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Parkfields Middle School issued 32 suspensions, 6.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
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 · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
11.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Hearing
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.21%
Exclusion rate
32
Suspensions
6.85%
Suspension rate
22 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 467 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Parkfields Middle School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Parkfields Middle School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Parkfields 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 6 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
4 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 Parkfields Middle School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Parkfields Middle School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Parkfields Middle School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Parkfields 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
102%
Over capacity
462 pupils
452 places
10 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dunstable
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dunstable
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
81
SEN Support
27
EHC Plans
23.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Parkfields Middle School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
460
Total Pupils
240
Boys
220
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
28
Teachers
16.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,722
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,699
Per pupil
£2824k
Total funding
£59k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.4%
Overall absence
16.6%
Persistent absence
481
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
Parkfields Middle School
Questions parents ask about Parkfields Middle School
What are SATs results like at Parkfields Middle School?
Of the pupils at Parkfields Middle School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is Parkfields Middle School's Ofsted rating?
Parkfields Middle School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024.
What is the catchment area for Parkfields Middle School?
No fixed boundary. When Parkfields 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 Parkfields Middle School?
Parkfields Middle School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Parkfields Middle School?
Classes at Parkfields Middle School average 28.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Parkfields Middle School?
Parkfields Middle School has around 460 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Parkfields Middle School have specialist SEN provision?
Parkfields Middle School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment.
What is attendance like at Parkfields Middle School?
6.4% of sessions were missed at Parkfields Middle School in 2024/25. 16.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Parkfields Middle School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Parkfields 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 Parkfields Middle School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 6 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 4 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 Parkfields Middle School?
Parkfields Middle School is at Park Road, Toddington, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 6AB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)