Ofsted: Good trending_up High Demand emoji_events #1 in Bedford public Top 8% UK

Goldington Academy

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

personMr Francis Galbraith

corporate_fareGOLDINGTON ACADEMY TRUST

location_onBedford, MK41 9BX

language Visit Website phone 1234261516

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

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Students

889

trending_up

Attainment 8

54.3

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GCSE Rank

#1 in Bedford

#523 of 3,216 nationally

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Goldington Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Bedford, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Highly competitive: 1.7× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Goldington Academy is an academy converter in Bedford, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of GOLDINGTON ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 942 pupils on roll, of whom 23% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 54.3, placing the school #1 in Bedford and #523 of 3,216 nationally. 64.40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 27.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

In 2019, 72% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 19% achieving the higher standard.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.7× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.2 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

54.3

Grade 5+ E&M

64.40%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)27.7%

Entering EBacc56.50%

EBacc APS4.97

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.85

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc61.30%

EBacc APS5.03

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.88

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc61%

EBacc APS5.00

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.74

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc58%

EBacc APS5.06

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc72%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

2018

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

72%

LA 55%England 65%

Reading84% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Writing82% LA 67% · Eng 78%

Maths90% LA 71% · Eng 79%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.3

Read

LA -1.5

-1.6 to 1.0

-1.5

Write

LA -2.5

-2.6 to -0.3

-1.4

Maths

LA -2.1

-2.5 to -0.3

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

58%

LA 45%

Reading72% LA 56%

Writing75% LA 65%

Maths70% LA 57%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

-2.6

Read

LA -2.9

-3.5 to -1.7

-2.7

Write

LA -2.4

-3.6 to -1.8

-2.3

Maths

LA -2.7

-3.1 to -1.5

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

01 February 2022

Inspection Report

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21 June 2016

Inspection Report

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08 November 2012

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2022-02-01

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2016-06-21

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2012-11-08

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2007-04-25

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

1.5%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.3%(12 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 942 pupils. During this period, there were 14 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.5%, 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)	942	14	1.5%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	941	8	0.9%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	929	13	1.4%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	929	12	1.3%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	923	11	1.2%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	886	5	0.6%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	889	10	1.1%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	891	10	1.1%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	834	11	1.3%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	837	12	1.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	845	6	0.7%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	803	5	0.6%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	811	3	0.4%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	809	5	0.6%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	786	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	786	9	1.1%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	776	4	0.5%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	722	11	1.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	726	9	1.2%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	732	1	0.1%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	731	6	0.8%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	731	7	1.0%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	733	4	0.5%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	689	11	1.6%	3.0%	2
2016/17 (Spring term)	692	5	0.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	687	3	0.4%	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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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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 39 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 25 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 23 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 17 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils