Sheerhatch Primary School, Bedford
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 8 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This school creates a happy, caring environment where children thrive. Teachers build strong relationships with pupils, making them confident and eager to learn. Children make good progress in reading and maths, and behaviour is excellent throughout the school.
Key Strengths
- Pupils make good progress in English and rising progress in mathematics, leaving with above-average skills
- Teaching is good with strong relationships between staff and pupils that build confidence and enthusiasm for learning
- Excellent behaviour throughout the school - pupils are happy, feel safe, and are kind to one another
- Early Years Foundation Stage provides good preparation for Year 1 with varied, engaging activities
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs enables them to progress at the same rate as peers
Areas for Improvement
- Not enough teaching is outstanding because work isn't always challenging enough for more-able pupils
- Teachers don't always adjust tasks quickly enough during lessons to keep all pupils challenged throughout
- Small gap remains between attainment of disadvantaged pupils and their peers despite recent improvements
- Leaders don't always respond quickly enough to support groups falling behind in progress
Safeguarding
Pupils say they feel safe at school, know how to handle risky situations, and staff deal quickly with any bullying or problems.
Extracurricular Activities
Rota-kids charity programme
Cople Lower School is a good school where pupils enter Reception with typical skills and leave Year 4 with above-average attainment. The school has strong teaching, excellent behaviour, and good leadership, though more work is needed to challenge the most able pupils and close gaps for disadvantaged learners.
At a Glance
18.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 72% to 81%. Maths has improved from 50% to 56%. Writing has improved from 50% to 63%.
Class Sizes
18.1
Avg class size
18.7
Infant (KS1)
17.8
KS2
7
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
61%
Available places
129 pupils
210 capacity
81 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Bedford
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bedford
Admissions Demand - Bedford
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(7)
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.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.51375%
Overall absence
14.65517%
Persistent absence
116
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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