Ofsted: Good

Leighton Middle School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Claire Vallance

location_onLeighton Buzzard, LU7 1EX

language Visit Website phone 1525374907

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

groups

Students

598

school

Expected Standard

78%

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Age Range

9-13

summarize

Leighton Middle School is a Community school secondary school in Leighton Buzzard, serving ages 9-13. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Leighton Middle School is a community school in Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire, admitting pupils aged 9-13. The school has approximately 600 pupils on roll, of whom 13% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 78% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 5% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #2 of 53 primaries in Central Bedfordshire and #2,602 of 15,231 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.4:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 0.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

78%

LA 50%

Reading87% LA 68%

Writing84% LA 62%

Maths89% LA 62%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

77%

LA 49%England 61%

Reading84% LA 68% · Eng 74%

Writing91% LA 61% · Eng 72%

Maths83% LA 62% · Eng 73%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

76%

LA 48%England 60%

Reading81% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Writing88% LA 61% · Eng 71%

Maths86% LA 63% · Eng 73%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.9

Read

LA -1.4

-0.1 to 2.0

1.8

Write

LA -2.4

0.9 to 2.8

0.4

Maths

LA -2.0

-0.5 to 1.4

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

68%

LA 57%England 65%

Reading75% LA 66% · Eng 73%

Writing88% LA 71% · Eng 78%

Maths84% LA 69% · Eng 79%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.1

Read

LA -2.0

-0.9 to 1.1

-0.1

Write

LA -2.1

-1.0 to 0.8

0.1

Maths

LA -2.3

-0.8 to 1.0

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

79%

LA 55%

Reading84% LA 66%

Writing90% LA 70%

Maths86% LA 65%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.2

Read

LA -2.2

-0.8 to 1.2

2.7

Write

LA -1.9

1.8 to 3.6

0.6

Maths

LA -2.1

-0.3 to 1.5

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

30 April 2024

Inspection Report

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08 June 2018

Inspection Report

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04 December 2013

Inspection Report

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09 June 2011

Inspection Report

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09 July 2008

Inspection Report

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19 January 2004

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2018-06-08

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-12-04

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2011-06-09

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.5%(3 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 600 pupils. During this period, there were 4 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.7%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	600	4	0.7%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	603	1	0.2%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	595	5	0.8%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	595	3	0.5%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	603	2	0.3%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	591	4	0.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	598	6	1.0%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	599	2	0.3%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	592	2	0.3%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	597	5	0.8%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	594	9	1.5%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	578	6	1.0%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	579	4	0.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	590	8	1.4%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	585	1	0.2%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	585	3	0.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	591	1	0.2%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	554	12	2.2%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	556	11	2.0%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	563	6	1.1%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	524	5	1.0%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	527	2	0.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	531	1	0.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	505	3	0.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	510	5	1.0%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	506	1	0.2%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 29 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 20 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 14 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 13 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 11 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

92.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

93.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

20.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree50%

agree36%

disagree8%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree25%

agree46%

disagree19%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree35%

agree24%

disagree14%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

not applicable20%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes18%

no82%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree40%

agree34%

disagree18%

strongly disagree6%

dont know2%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree54%

agree37%

disagree3%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree53%

agree40%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

don't know3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree40%

agree42%

disagree13%

strongly disagree3%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree52%

agree45%

disagree1%

don't know2%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree62%

agree36%

disagree1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree40%

agree40%

disagree8%

strongly disagree4%

don't know7%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes88%

no12%

Top Secondary Schools in Central Bedfordshire

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Cedars Upper School

Good

location_on Leighton Buzzard, LU7 2AE

emoji_events #1 in LA

Vandyke Upper School

Good

location_on Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3DY

emoji_events #2 in LA

Harlington Upper School

Good

location_on Dunstable, LU5 6NX

emoji_events #3 in LA

Houstone School

N/A

location_on Dunstable, LU5 5PX

emoji_events #4 in LA

Priory Academy

Good

location_on Dunstable, LU5 4JA

emoji_events #5 in LA

Samuel Whitbread Academy

Good

location_on Shefford, SG17 5QS

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Central Bedfordshire arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Central Bedfordshire

Cedars Upper School

Vandyke Upper School

Harlington Upper School

Houstone School

Priory Academy

Samuel Whitbread Academy