Shackleton Primary School
Primary · Academy converter · Mixed · Bedford
Pearcey Road, Bedford, MK42 9LZ
43
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Good
Graded 28/09/2021
Application demand
98%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
94.1%
18.3% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
487
Capacity used
Over capacity101%
480 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
98%
1st preference success rate
55 of 56 families who put it first got an offer
60
Places offered
137
Total applications
2.3
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 56 | 55 | ● 98% |
| 2nd preference | 57 | 4 | ● 7% |
| 3rd preference | 14 | 1 | ● 7% |
| 4th preference | 10 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 137 | 60 | 44% |
1st preference success by year
Bedford lets families list 4 preferences. 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
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Age range
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Andie BenBrahim
- Address
- Pearcey Road, Bedford, MK42 9LZ
- Phone
- 01234352912
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Ward / constituency
- Cauldwell · Bedford
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 144545
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 34% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 62% | — | — |
| SEN support | 13% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 4 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: HEART ACADEMIES TRUST
487 pupils · 480 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 26
27 January 2026
S5 Inspection · report card
Inclusion Expected standard Achievement Needs attention Safeguarding standards Met Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Attendance and behaviour Expected standard Leadership and governance Expected standard Early years Expected standard Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard Post-16 provision Not applicable - 21
28 September 2021
Full graded inspection
Good overall effectivenessEarly years Good Personal development Good Quality of education Good Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Good Leadership and management Good
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 437 pupils
Attendance
94.1%
Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%
Overall absence
5.9%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%
Persistent absence
18.3%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%
Severe absence
3.4%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
2.1%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results (Key Stage 2)
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 43% | — | — |
| Higher standard | 0% | — | — |
| Reading progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Writing progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Maths progress | — | — | 0.0 |
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 54% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 0% | 8% |
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 Bedford council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 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.