Bedford Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 11–18 · Bedford
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
2.35 miles
Published by Bedford Borough Council · offers on 2 March 2026
2024–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Bedford Academy is a secondary school in Bedford for ages 11–18 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 21 March 2023. Bedford has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2024 to 2026 entry.
Bedford Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 2.35 mi |
| Year 7 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For 2026 Year 7 entry, the last child offered a place lived 2.35 miles away, the longest of 4 Bedford secondary schools with a published last distance.
- That 2026 Year 7 distance was further than in 2025 and 2024, and the 2026 figure was the longest of the 3 years.
- For 2026 Year 7 entry, there were 285 first-choice applications for 293 offers; 270 offers went to first-choice families and 15 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- 2024/25 GCSE English and maths grade 5 or above: 38% (England 45%), the 5th highest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Bedford.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Bedford schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Mile Road, Bedford, MK42 9TR
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Bedford
- Pupils on roll
- 1,480 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 38.5% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.1
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 21 March 2023
Strengths
- “Pupils are happy and safe as leaders have established a culture where pupils are listened to.”
- “Staff build strong relationships with pupils so know their individual needs well.”
- “Those pupils who need it value the ‘access centre’.”
To improve
- “Where pupils do not achieve as well as they might, they experience some pockets of inconsistency in how well the curriculum is taught.”
- “Leaders established that the previous curriculum model lacked ambition.”
- “Pupils did not study a language.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 17 May 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 38% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 42.8 | 46 |
| A level average grade (2024/25) | C+ | B- |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 285 first-preference applications, 293 offers in total, 270 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Bedford.
- Bedford Free School 1.1 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Daubeney Academy 1.4 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Goldington Academy 1.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Biddenham International School and Sports College 2.2 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Wixams Academy 2.3 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Kempston Academy 2.5 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Mark Rutherford School 2.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Thomas More Catholic School 3.0 mi Good Last distance published