Queensbury Academy, Dunstable

From the headteacher's welcome: "Our diverse and inclusive community will provide the next generation with the skills and knowledge required to grow in learning and in life. At Queensbury, we put student success first. Our commitment is to promote an environment where every student is empowered to achieve their full potential."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, dance, drama, chess, STEM, gardening, debating and maths club.

In 2026, pupils at Queensbury Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.7 in Central Bedfordshire and 47 across England.

39% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Central Bedfordshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 40 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.56: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31.1, against 43.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 173 families put Queensbury Academy as their first choice and 356 named it as one of their preferences, for 190 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Queensbury Academy are Priory Academy (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42); All Saints Academy Dunstable (1.2 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 35.7); Manshead Church of England Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.9); and The Chalk Hills Academy (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8).

Queensbury Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Queensbury Academy is one of 15 schools run by Anthem Schools Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.4 in 2024/25.

204 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Queensbury Academy (as of September 2025): 39% would recommend the school, 60% say their child is happy there and 37% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (66%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (34%).

Of the 205 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 84 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 44% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 38% into work. 9% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

15.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 133 pupils (12.2%) received SEN support and 33 (3%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Leagrave Rail Station, about 3.5 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Meadway (adjacent), 130 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Queensbury Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 203 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Queensbury Academy issued 333 suspensions, 28.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Queensbury Academy are Lark Rise Academy (0.2 miles), Dunstable Icknield Lower School (0.4 miles), Watling Lower School (0.4 miles) and Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.