Pinchmill Primary School, Bedford

Good
Primary
Foundation school
Mixed
Ages 211

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.7km)Possible (~2.4km)Unlikely (~3.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Victoria Bailey
Pupils:88 / 105 capacity
LA:Bedford
Phone:01234781371
Address:The Old Road, Felmersham, Bedford, MK43 7JD
Trust:North Bedfordshire Schools Trust (NBST)
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 20 May 2025View full report
URN:109451
UKPRN:10079880
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:North Bedfordshire
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Pinchmill Primary creates a warm, caring environment where children are happy and feel supported. The school has worked hard to build strong teacher consistency and has developed an improved curriculum that younger pupils are benefiting from. Staff are committed to helping all pupils succeed, particularly those with additional needs, and the school offers plenty of enriching experiences beyond the classroom.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils show positive behaviour, respect and enthusiasm for learning
  • Strong early years provision that builds a solid foundation for children's education
  • Effective support for reading with well-suited help for struggling readers
  • Commitment to pupils' wellbeing with caring relationships and a safe environment
  • Good range of enrichment activities including clubs, trips and leadership opportunities

Areas for Improvement

  • Curriculum does not sufficiently consider pupils' starting points, leaving some pupils with knowledge gaps
  • Staff lack sufficient training in what to teach, when to teach it and the best teaching methods
  • Assessment strategies are not used effectively enough to identify and address gaps in pupils' understanding
  • Older pupils are not achieving as well as they could due to earlier missed learning

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong safeguarding culture prioritising pupils' interests.

Extracurricular Activities

clubs, trips, leadership opportunities, community projects, themed days, WOW days

Pinchmill Primary School is a small primary school where pupils are confident and enthusiastic, with good behaviour and personal development. However, the quality of education requires improvement due to gaps in curriculum design and inconsistent teaching methods.

At a Glance

14.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

53 responses
Would recommend87%
Child is happy96%
Well taught89%
Good progress83%
Feels safe89%
Well behaved89%
Bullying dealt with21%
Kept informed85%
Handles concerns64%
Wider development87%

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

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

Reading43%
Maths43%
Writing29%

2025/26 academic year

Class Sizes

14.0

Avg class size

5.0

Infant (KS1)

6

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

The Church (S-bound)
316m · 5 min walk
The Sun (o/s)
441m · 7 min walk
The swan (opp)
1.0km · 16 min walk
The Swan (adj)
1.0km · 17 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

84%

Available places

88 pupils

105 capacity

17 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Bedford

Medium pressure
New homes approved:9,345
Projected new pupils:2,336

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bedford

Admissions Demand - Bedford

Low demand0.78x oversubscription

Places available

2,690

Applications

2,103

Got 1st preference

93.6%

Got preferred school

99.3%

Primary admissions across Bedford (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

20 May 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
1 November 2023
30 October 2018

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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

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.32339%

Overall absence

6.41026%

Persistent absence

78

Enrolments

Authorised2.35619%
Unauthorised0.9672%
Persistent (10%+)6.41026%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.23433%
18/19
3.74365%
20/21
6.74705%
21/22
5.97604%
22/23
3.5557%
23/24
3.32339%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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