UK Schools
Bedford Academy
Bedford Academy is a mixed secondary academy in Bedford, Bedford Borough Council, teaching 1,480 pupils aged 11 to 18. Ofsted rated it Good at its last graded inspection in March 2023. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 42.8 (England 46.1). The 2025–2026 school year runs from 2 September 2025 to 17 July 2026.
Ofsted inspection
The latest published Ofsted judgement for Bedford Academy.
Scale: Outstanding Good Requires improvement Inadequate
Term dates & holidays 2025–2026
Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for Bedford Academy.
- 1 Staff Training Day
- 2 Autumn Term Starts
- 27–31 Autumn Half Term
- 3 Staff Training Day
- 19 Autumn Term Ends
- 22–31 Christmas Holiday
- 1–2 Christmas Holiday
- 5 Staff Training Day
- 6 Spring Term Starts
- 16–20 Spring Half Term
- 27 Spring Term Ends
- 30–31 Easter Holiday
- 1–10 Easter Holiday
- 13 Staff Training Day
- 14 Summer Term Starts
- 25–29 Summer Half Term
- 17 Summer Term Ends
- 20–31 Summer Holiday
- 1–31 Summer Holiday
Key dates (2025–2026)
- Staff Training Day Sep 1, 2025 Inset Day
- Autumn Term Starts Sep 2, 2025 Term
- Staff Training Day Nov 3, 2025 Inset Day
- Autumn Half Term Oct 27-31, 2025 Holiday
- Autumn Term Ends Dec 19, 2025 Term
- Christmas Holiday Dec 22, 2025 - Jan 2, 2026 Holiday
- Staff Training Day Jan 5, 2026 Inset Day
- Spring Term Starts Jan 6, 2026 Term
- Spring Half Term Feb 16-20, 2026 Holiday
- Spring Term Ends Mar 27, 2026 Term
- Easter Holiday Mar 30 - Apr 10, 2026 Holiday
- Staff Training Day Apr 13, 2026 Inset Day
- Summer Term Starts Apr 14, 2026 Term
- Summer Half Term May 25-29, 2026 Holiday
- Summer Term Ends Jul 17, 2026 Term
- Summer Holiday Jul 20 - Aug 31, 2026 Holiday
Exam results & performance
The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare Bedford Academy with Bedford Borough Council and England.
Key stage 4 (GCSE) 42.8 Attainment 8 score
Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
16 to 18 (A level & sixth form) 33.4 A level average point score
Results for students finishing post-16 study.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
Attendance 25.7% Persistently absent pupils
Absence across the whole school year.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
What pupils do after GCSEs 91% In education, apprenticeship or work
Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
What students do after 16 to 18 study 85% In education, apprenticeship or work
Destinations the year after finishing post-16 study.
This school Bedford Borough Council England
About this data source & caveats
Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.
Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.
We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.
Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for Bedford Academy. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.
Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Location & catchment area
Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to Bedford Academy than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.