Russell Lower School, Ampthill
Russell Lower School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 9 in Ampthill. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2022 did not change this grade. It was 98% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Russell Lower School in detail
Russell Lower School in its own words
In its own words: "Our vision is for Russell Lower School to always be the first-choice school for parents and children in the local area. Our mission is to nurture confident, happy, successful and respectful children who feel valued and know they belong."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include gardening and art.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Coming up: an admissions event on Monday 23 November 2026, an admissions event on Tuesday 23 February 2027 and an admissions event on Monday 22 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Central Bedfordshire
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Russell Lower School
For September 2026 entry, 94 families put Russell Lower School as their first choice and 153 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Russell Lower School are The Firs Lower School (0.3 miles, Good); Maulden Lower School (1.4 miles, Good); Templefield Lower School (1.6 miles, Good); and Kingsmoor Lower School (1.6 miles, Good).
The Firs Lower SchoolMaulden Lower SchoolTemplefield Lower SchoolKingsmoor Lower School
Who goes there
4.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (87%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 40 pupils (9.2%) received SEN support and 13 (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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Flitwick Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Houghton Close (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Russell Lower School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Russell Lower School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Russell Lower School are Alameda Middle School (0.3 miles), Redborne Upper School and Community College (0.6 miles) and Woodland Middle School Academy (1.7 miles).
Alameda Middle SchoolRedborne Upper School and Community CollegeWoodland Middle School Academy
Sources: 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from November 2011, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2011 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
4.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.1
Avg class size
29.6
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Russell Lower School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Russell Lower School.
- Premier - Russell LowerAt the school · Not yet graded
- Ampthill Kids Holiday Camps470m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Russell Lower School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Russell Lower 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
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, 1 serious and 10 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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
Your chances of a place at Russell Lower School
Will you get a place at Russell Lower School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Russell Lower School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Russell Lower School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Russell Lower School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Russell Lower School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- 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
98%
Near capacity
443 pupils
450 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ampthill
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ampthill
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
12.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
437
Total Pupils
207
Boys
230
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
23.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,364
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,038
Per pupil
£2399k
Total funding
£29k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
3.9%
Persistent absence
356
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
Questions parents ask about Russell Lower School
What is Russell Lower School's Ofsted rating?
Russell Lower School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Russell Lower School?
No fixed boundary. When Russell Lower 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 Russell Lower School?
Russell Lower School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Russell Lower School?
Classes at Russell Lower School average 29.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Russell Lower School?
Russell Lower School has around 437 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Russell Lower School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Russell Lower School in 2024/25. 3.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Russell Lower School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Russell Lower School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Russell Lower School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier - Russell Lower (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Russell Lower School?
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, 1 serious and 10 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Russell Lower School?
Russell Lower School is at Queens Road, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, MK45 2TD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)