Classpot

Elstow School

Bedford, MK42 9GPPrimaryAges 4–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Feb 2025
KS2 Results
70%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
0.8×
Not oversubscribed
49 1st-choice / 58 places
Ranking
#4,068
of 13,686 nationally

About Elstow School

Elstow School is clearly popular with its families. In the most recent Parent View survey, covering responses from September 2024 to September 2025, a remarkable 96% of parents said they would recommend the school to others, with only 4% saying they would not. That level of satisfaction is backed up by strong individual scores: 63% of parents strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 71% strongly agreed that their child feels safe. The school is also oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, receiving 82 applications for 58 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.41. Of those applications, 49 were first-preference offers, which exactly matched the number of first-preference applications received, suggesting that for families who put Elstow first, it tends to work out. The school is a state primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with a capacity of 420 and currently 418 pupils on roll, so it is running very close to full.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range4 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterDoes not apply
AddressAbbey Fields, Bedford, Bedford, MK42 9GP
HeadteacherSarah Ciantar
Local AuthorityBedford
Number of Pupils418
Free School Meals (FSM)20.3%
School Capacity418 / 420 (100% full)

The full report on this school

What 56 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

26 Feb 2025
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
Early Years Provision
Outstanding

Latest monitoring visit (26 Feb 2025): Standards maintained

Source: Ofsted, 13 Dec 2016. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

9
Music RoomsSports HallICT SuitePlaying FieldsForest SchoolSensory RoomDining HallOutdoor PlaygroundChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

11

Sports

CricketFootballAthleticsTennisDanceNetball

Clubs & Activities

Science ClubDramaChoirArt ClubEco Club

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageVisionLearning Difficulty

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:50 – 15:30

Breakfast club

07:30-08:25

After-school care

15:30-18:00

Source: elstowschool.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Elstow School

Elstow School has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.