Raynsford Church of England Academy

About Raynsford Church of England Academy

Raynsford Church of England Academy is a primary school in Central Bedfordshire that is currently running at full capacity, with 238 pupils on roll against a published capacity of 234. The school is clearly popular with local families: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 80 applications for just 29 places, and 36 of those were first-preference applications. Of those first-preference families, 28 were offered a place, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.76 applicants per place. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 7.1%, which is notably lower than the national average for primary schools, suggesting the school draws from a relatively affluent catchment. The school is led by headteacher Ed Wheatley and has a Church of England religious character, with nursery provision available for children from age two.

Academically, Raynsford performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Central Bedfordshire average of 54%. Reading and maths average scores were 108 and 105 respectively, both above the national benchmark of 100. At the higher standard, 24% of pupils achieved in reading, 14% in maths and 10% in writing. The school ranks third out of 34 primary schools in Central Bedfordshire on the KS2 expected standard measure, placing it in the top 25% nationally. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in November 2024, confirmed that standards are being maintained, with the school retaining its Good rating. The previous graded inspection in 2015 had also rated the school Good across leadership, early years provision and overall effectiveness, while its 2007 inspection had awarded Outstanding.

The school offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, sensory room, chapel, art studios and music rooms, plus playing fields for sports such as football, athletics, swimming, rounders and tennis. Clubs include coding, gardening, chess, choir, drama and art club. For children with additional needs, the school has provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, multi-sensory impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 73 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 92% of parents strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 96% felt their child is safe. 90% would recommend the school to other parents. Given its oversubscription, families considering Raynsford should be prepared to apply early and list it as a first preference.

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