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Parkfields Middle School

Middle deemed secondary · Dunstable · LU5 6AB

Data updated

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Good

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.

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 8 May 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

460 pupils · 102% of 452 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
9–13
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
11.3% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
3.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
18.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
6.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://www.parkfieldsschool.co.uk
URN
147804

In figures

Ofsted last graded it Good on 8 May 2024, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.7% 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.

Cutoff by admission criterion (2024 entry)

Criterion 7 (Children attending Harlington cluster feeder schools within the Arnold or Parkfields pyramid)
7490.51 m (≈4.65 mi)

2024 is the most recent year we hold a cutoff for this school. It describes that year, not 2026.

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

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

115 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
50%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
3%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
104
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
103
England 105

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.

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 77% (Central Bedfordshire 75%, England 59%) · Any other White background 4% (Central Bedfordshire 6%, England 7%) · Black African 3% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 5%) · Not recorded 3% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Asian 3% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 3%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Central Bedfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 5%) · 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)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.7%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
11.9%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

6.85 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · 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

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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
18.3
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

96% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 4% 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)

44.8% of teachers took sickness absence, 6.3 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 £57,722; 17.9% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£7,472
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 70% (77%) · premises 4% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (6%) · supplies and services 18% (11%) · educational supplies 15% (6%) · bought-in professional services 0% (1%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £134,000; in-year balance +£44,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, 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)
9/10among the least deprived fifth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher35.7%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications11.7%18.1%
In managerial or professional work43.8%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways10.4%18.1%
Residents in very good health53.2%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier78.6%62.3%
Social housing4.2%17.1%
Privately rented17.2%20.5%
Detached houses49.6%22.9%
Flats5.5%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms37.1%21.1%
Households with no car or van7.8%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01017620 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£395,000179 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£312,000–£499,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (61)£540,000
Semi-detached (57)£390,000
Terraced (58)£300,000

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
0a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
2a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
6a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
0a 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

Nearby schools