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Hockliffe Lower School

Primary · Leighton Buzzard · LU7 9LL

Data updated

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Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

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

Inspected 11 March 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

67 pupils · 89% of 75 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
4–9
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
4.5% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
10.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
4.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
www.hockliffelowerschool.co.uk/
URN
150145

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 13 families named it first for 15 Reception places, 0.87 first choices per place. Its last Reception place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 5002.79 m (≈3.11 mi); distance decided places in 1 of the 4 years of Reception rounds we hold, 2022 to 2026. At its inspection on 11 March 2025 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.7% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.87 first-choice applications per place

15 places offered · 13 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

24/25
25/26
26/27

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

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 5002.79 m (≈3.11 mi) for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 5002.79 m (≈3.11 mi)

measured in a straight line.

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 66% (Central Bedfordshire 70%, England 60%) · Any other White background 9% (Central Bedfordshire 8%, England 7%) · Asian Pakistani 4% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 5%) · Black African 4% (Central Bedfordshire 3%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 4% (Central Bedfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Any other ethnic group 3% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 3% (Central Bedfordshire 3%, England 2%) · Not recorded 3% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Asian Bangladeshi 2% (Central Bedfordshire 0%, England 2%) · Black Caribbean 2% (Central Bedfordshire 1%, England 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)
5.7%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
10.5%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

7.69 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · 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
15.5
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

60% of teachers took sickness absence, 2.7 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 £48,450; 14.3% 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 (2024-25)

This school£8,785
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 73% (77%) · premises 12% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (8%) · supplies and services 8% (9%) · educational supplies 4% (4%) · bought-in professional services 1% (2%) · catering 4% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve -£45,000; in-year balance +£14,000

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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)
7/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher33%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications15.1%18.1%
In managerial or professional work40%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways12.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health46.6%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier77.7%62.3%
Social housing9.9%17.1%
Privately rented12.2%20.5%
Detached houses38.6%22.9%
Flats6.5%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms28.8%21.1%
Households with no car or van6.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01017577 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£318,00059 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£267,000–£384,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (13)£410,000
Semi-detached (14)£332,500
Terraced (27)£282,000
Flat (5)£180,000

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
3a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
10a 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

Nearby schools