Arnold Academy
Middle deemed secondary · Bedford · MK45 4JZ
Data updated
Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system
This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.
Inspected 23 May 2023
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
704 pupils · 98% of 720 capacity (January 2026 census)
- School type
- Academy converter
- Age range
- 9–13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Free school meals
- 14.2% of pupils (January 2026)
- English as additional language
- 3.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
- SEN support
- 19.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
- EHC plan
- 4% of pupils (2024/2025)
- URN
- 136829
In figures
Ofsted last graded it Good on 23 May 2023, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.
Catchment area
Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.
Admissions cutoff distance: Year 5
Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.
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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work
Compare admissions across the area: Bedford school admissions · Central Bedfordshire school admissions
Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)
179 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025
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.
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Provision type: Resourced provision.
- Resourced provision
- 10 of 6 places taken full, or over capacity
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 66% (Central Bedfordshire 75%, England 59%) · Any other Mixed background 6% (Central Bedfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 6% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Any other White background 5% (Central Bedfordshire 6%, England 7%) · Asian Indian 4% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Asian 3% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Not recorded 3% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Asian Pakistani 2% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 1%) · White Irish 1% (Central Bedfordshire 0%, England 0%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Central Bedfordshire 0%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 3%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 1%) · other groups together 1%
Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures
Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)
Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)
2.43 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Central Bedfordshire: 15.62 suspensions and 0.26 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium
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Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →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
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
92% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 8% left the state-funded sector
Vacancies (November 2025)
0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary
Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)
57.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 6 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 £51,315; 17.8% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%
Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium
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Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted
Spending per pupil (2024-25)
Where the money went (2024-25)
Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 80% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 6% (6%) · supplies and services 9% (11%) · educational supplies 6% (6%) · bought-in professional services 0% (1%) · catering 3% (3%)
Reserves (2024-25)
Revenue reserve £801,000; in-year balance +£17,000
Spending and reserves, last three years Premium
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Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared
Inspection history since 2015
- 23 May 2023: Good
- 12 July 2017: Yes - improving (good)
Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems
The area around the school
- Child poverty (IDACI)
- 8/10less deprived than most of England
- Overall deprivation (IMD)
- 9/10among the least deprived fifth of England
| Census 2021 | This area | England |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with a degree or higher | 33.3% | 33.9% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 16.4% | 18.1% |
| In managerial or professional work | 40% | 33.2% |
| Households deprived in two or more ways | 12.3% | 18.1% |
| Residents in very good health | 49.3% | 48.5% |
| Homes owned by the occupier | 80.5% | 62.3% |
| Social housing | 11.5% | 17.1% |
| Privately rented | 7.8% | 20.5% |
| Detached houses | 40.3% | 22.9% |
| Flats | 6.8% | 22.2% |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 36% | 21.1% |
| Households with no car or van | 11.2% | 23.5% |
These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01017559 · how to read area figures
What homes cost nearby
- Median sale price
- £398,500129 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
- Typical range
- £325,000–£528,000the middle half of sales
- England median
- £300,000all sales over the same period
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
- 0a rural school averages 0.3
- Collisions at school-run times
- 1a rural school averages 0.7
- All reported collisions
- 3a rural school averages 3.4
- Of those, serious or fatal
- 2a rural school averages 0.9
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