Shefford Lower School, Shefford
Shefford Lower School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Shefford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Shefford Lower School in detail
Getting a place at Shefford Lower School
For September 2026 entry, 94 families put Shefford Lower School as their first choice and 147 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Shefford Lower School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Shefford Lower School are Campton Academy (0.7 miles, Good); Meppershall Church of England Academy (1.6 miles, Good, 63% reading, 44% maths); Clifton All Saints Academy (1.7 miles, Good, 80% reading, 70% maths); and Southill Lower School (2.2 miles, Good).
Campton AcademyMeppershall Church of England AcademyClifton All Saints AcademySouthill Lower School
Who goes there
13.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (86%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 112 pupils (21.8%) received SEN support and 30 (5.8%) 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.
Shefford Lower School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Shefford Lower School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School Lane (opposite), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Shefford 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
In 2024/25, Shefford Lower School issued 13 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Shefford Lower School are Robert Bloomfield Academy (under 0.1 miles) and Samuel Whitbread Academy (1 mile).
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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from November 2017, 8 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 2017 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
13.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Shefford Lower School
Before and after school care
Shefford Lower School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Central Bedfordshire
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Shefford Lower School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Shefford 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Shefford Lower School
Will you get a place at Shefford Lower School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Shefford Lower School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Shefford Lower School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Shefford 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 Shefford 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
452 pupils
450 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Shefford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Shefford
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
112
SEN Support
30
EHC Plans
27.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Shefford Lower School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 9 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
514
Total Pupils
274
Boys
240
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
20.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,408
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,106
Per pupil
£2516k
Total funding
£79k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
10.9%
Persistent absence
367
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
Shefford Lower School
Questions parents ask about Shefford Lower School
What is Shefford Lower School's Ofsted rating?
Shefford Lower School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Shefford Lower School?
No fixed boundary. When Shefford 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 Shefford Lower School?
Shefford Lower School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How many pupils go to Shefford Lower School?
Shefford Lower School has around 514 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Shefford Lower School have specialist SEN provision?
Shefford Lower School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 9 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Shefford Lower School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Shefford Lower School in 2024/25. 10.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Shefford Lower School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Shefford 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 Shefford Lower School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Shefford Lower School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Shefford Lower School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Shefford Lower School?
Shefford Lower School is at School Lane, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5XA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)