Schools around here

Silsoe CofE VC Lower School

Primary · Voluntary controlled school · Mixed · Central Bedfordshire

Chestnut Avenue, Bedford, MK45 4GP

Website 01525860247

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headline score

Ranking (England)

—

No ranked results

Ofsted

Good

Graded 02/03/2023

Application demand

100%

1st preference success · Not oversubscribed

Attendance

95.5%

9.8% persistently absent

Above averageAround averageBelow averagecompared with the England average for state-funded schools.

At a glance

Pupils on roll

251

Capacity used

Has space

84%

300 places

GCSE rank (England)

—

KS2 rank (England)

—

Application demand

Primary entry · official council applications and offers

Not oversubscribed

100%

1st preference success rate

39 of 39 families who put it first got an offer

40

Places offered

54

Total applications

1.4

Applications per place

Preference (Sept 2025 entry)ApplicationsOffersSuccess
1st preference3939● 100%
2nd preference71● 14%
3rd preference80● 0%
Total544074%

1st preference success by year

100%
2020
100%
2021
100%
2022
100%
2023
100%
2024
100%
2025

Central Bedfordshire lets families list 3 preferences. 7 applications came from outside the council area (5 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.

Details

Type
Voluntary controlled school
Phase
Primary
Age range
4–9
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Sixth form
No
Nursery
No Nursery Classes
Boarding
No boarders
Headteacher
Sarah Boyle
Address
Chestnut Avenue, Silsoe, Bedford, MK45 4GP
Phone
01525860247
Local authority
Central Bedfordshire
Ward / constituency
Barton-le-Clay & Silsoe · Mid Bedfordshire
Area
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
109605

Pupils

MeasureSchoolLAEngland
Free school meals8%——
English as additional language1%——
SEN support11%——
51% boys (127)49% girls (124)

Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 2 of 5)

1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.

251 pupils · 300 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.

Ofsted inspections

  1. 23

    02 March 2023

    Full graded inspection

    Good overall effectiveness
    Early yearsGood
    Personal developmentGood
    Quality of educationGood
    Safeguarding effectiveYes
    Behaviour and attitudesGood
    Leadership and managementGood
View all Ofsted reports

Attendance

2024/2025 school year · 225 pupils

Attendance

95.5%

Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%

Overall absence

4.5%

Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%

Persistent absence

9.8%

Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%

Severe absence

0.4%

Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%

Unauthorised absence

1.1%

Absences the school didn't approve

Persistent absence by year

6%
20/21
15%
21/22
11%
22/23
12%
23/24
10%
24/25

Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.

House prices near the school

Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.

Loading prices…

Key application dates

National deadlines in England. Apply through Central Bedfordshire council, not the school.

EntryDeadlineOffer day
Reception (primary)15 January16 April (or next working day)

Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.