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St Andrew's CofE VC Primary School

Primary · Biggleswade · SG18 0LY

Data updated

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Needs attention

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Needs attentionAchievement: Needs attentionAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Expected standardInclusion: Expected standardLeadership & governance: Needs attentionEarly years: Expected standardPost-16: Not applicable

Inspected 10 March 2026 · report published 16 July 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

945 pupils · 93% of 1,020 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Voluntary controlled school
Age range
4–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Free school meals
12.5% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
4.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
12.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
4.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
www.standrewslowerschool.co.uk
URN
109595

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 45 families named it first for 57 Reception places, 0.79 first choices per place. We hold 4 Reception admissions rounds for it, 2022 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. At its report-card inspection on 10 March 2026, under the system Ofsted introduced in November 2025, the Achievement area was judged Needs attention. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.8% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.79 first-choice applications per place

57 places offered · 45 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: defined priority area. Inside it, last place at 370.91 m (≈0.23 mi) for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Last child admitted, by admission rule (2026 entry)

Criterion 5 (Catchment)
370.91 m (≈0.23 mi)

Not every site or admission rule was full that year, so a figure here was a cutoff only where children were refused under that rule or at that site.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths

no data

Reaching the higher standard

no data

Average scaled score (reading)

no data

Average scaled score (maths)

no data

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Special educational needs

Needs this school records that it caters for, in the order it lists them.

Provision type: Resourced provision.

Resourced provision
3 of 8 places taken places may be available

Unit places come from the school census and describe the position when it was taken, not today. Confirm with the local authority before relying on them.

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 80% (Central Bedfordshire 70%, England 60%) · Any other White background 4% (Central Bedfordshire 8%, England 7%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 3% (Central Bedfordshire 3%, England 2%) · Asian Indian 2% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 4%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Central Bedfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Black African 2% (Central Bedfordshire 3%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Any other Black background 1% (Central Bedfordshire 0%, England 1%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 5%) · other groups together 2%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.8%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
11.9%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

1.90 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Central Bedfordshire: 3.50 suspensions and 0.05 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
24
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

95% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 1% moved to another state school · 4% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained primaries: 0.18% vacant, 0.36% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

65.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 8 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £51,135; 8% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£6,262
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 79% (76%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (8%) · supplies and services 9% (9%) · educational supplies 4% (4%) · bought-in professional services 3% (3%) · catering 4% (5%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve -£531,910; in-year balance +£1,262

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
5/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher31.3%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications18.1%18.1%
In managerial or professional work35.1%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways16.8%18.1%
Residents in very good health40.3%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier60.2%62.3%
Social housing10.7%17.1%
Privately rented29.2%20.5%
Detached houses14.6%22.9%
Flats44.1%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms10.6%21.1%
Households with no car or van24.9%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01017385 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£300,000370 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£245,000–£375,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (49)£450,000
Semi-detached (113)£360,000
Terraced (137)£288,000
Flat (71)£177,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
8an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
22an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
2an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools