Westoning Lower School, Bedford
Westoning Lower School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 9 in Bedford, part of The Pyramid Schools Trust. It was 65% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Westoning Lower School in detail
Getting a place at Westoning Lower School
For September 2026 entry, 11 families put Westoning Lower School as their first choice and 28 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Westoning Lower School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Westoning Lower School are Harlington Lower School (1.1 miles, Good); Flitwick Lower School (1.3 miles, Good); Kingsmoor Lower School (1.5 miles, Good); and Templefield Lower School (1.5 miles, Good).
Harlington Lower SchoolFlitwick Lower SchoolKingsmoor Lower SchoolTemplefield Lower School
The trust
Westoning Lower School is one of 10 schools run by The Pyramid Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
10.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 12 pupils (10.4%) received SEN support and 2 (1.7%) 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.
Staffing
Westoning Lower School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Harlington (Beds) Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Newlands Road (adjacent), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 4 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and other crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47).
Suspensions and exclusions
Westoning Lower School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Westoning Lower School are Harlington Upper School (1.1 miles) and Woodland Middle School Academy (1.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoWestoning Lower School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in June 2020. Before that, as Westoning Lower School (URN 109490), it was rated Good in July 2015.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Westoning is a happy and safe place, where pupils flourish. Pupils are keen to learn as soon as they arrive each day. They appreciate the stimulating activities adults plan for them. For example, an Italian themed lunch, to inspire pupils to write a travel brochure on Sicily. These activities motivate pupils to work hard and rise to the adults' high expectations.
Strong routines are established from the moment children join the school in Nursery. These help pupils to learn the school's high standards of behaviour in their work and play. Pupils focus on a different value each half term, for example, appreciation. They try to act out the values in their day to day lives. Pupils are kind and caring in their relationships with each other. They have a sense of belonging. A positive family ethos permeates the school.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school, with support from the trust, has developed an ambitious curriculum. It is carefully planned and clearly sequenced, so that teachers know what to teach and when to teach it. This helps pupils to build knowledge gradually over time. Most pupils achieve well, particularly in reading.
Teachers deliver the curriculum confidently. They design learning activities that make links between past and present learning, and connections between subjects. In the Reception Year, for example, children learn about repeating patterns in maths. In an art activity, they create patterns in their paintings of the animals they had observed on a recent trip to a wildlife park. This helps children to secure their learning.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
At a Glance
25.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
20.6
Avg class size
20.0
Infant (KS1)
21.5
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Westoning Lower School
Before and after school care
Westoning 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
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Westoning Lower School.
- Premier - WestoningAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Westoning Lower School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Westoning 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 2 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
3 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 Westoning Lower School
Will you get a place at Westoning Lower School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Westoning Lower School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Westoning Lower School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Westoning 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 Westoning Lower School for 2021 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
65%
Available places
98 pupils
150 places
52 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bedford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bedford
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
12
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
12.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
115
Total Pupils
61
Boys
54
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
16.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£39,569
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,212
Per pupil
£684k
Total funding
£26k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
12.7%
Persistent absence
79
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
Westoning Lower School
Questions parents ask about Westoning Lower School
What is Westoning Lower School's Ofsted rating?
Westoning Lower School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in June 2020. Before that, as Westoning Lower School (URN 109490), it was rated Good in July 2015.
What is the catchment area for Westoning Lower School?
No fixed boundary. When Westoning 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 Westoning Lower School?
Westoning Lower School was not full in 2025: it ran at 65% of its 150 places.
How big are the classes at Westoning Lower School?
Classes at Westoning Lower School average 20.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Westoning Lower School?
Westoning Lower School has around 115 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Westoning Lower School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Westoning Lower School in 2024/25. 12.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Westoning Lower School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Westoning 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 Westoning Lower School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Westoning 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. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier - Westoning (registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Westoning Lower School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 2 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 3 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 Westoning Lower School?
Westoning Lower School is at High Street, Westoning, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 5JH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)