Middle deemed secondary school in Bedford, Central Bedfordshire
Arnold Academy
Hexton Road, Barton-le-Clay, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 4JZ
Ofsted
Graded Good at its last graded inspection, on 23 May 2023.
Ofsted stopped awarding single-word overall grades in September 2024. This grade is 3 years old and will not be updated — the school keeps it until its next inspection, which will not produce a replacement grade.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 704
- Places
- 720
- How full
- Nearly full — 704 of 720 places taken
- Girls / boys
- 333 / 371
- Overall absence
- 6%
- Persistently absent
- 13%
secondary schools average 8.6%
secondary schools average 23.9% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 12%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- With an EHC plan
- 4%
- On SEN support
- 19%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Central Bedfordshire 018B, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 33%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 16%
- Households owning their home
- 80%
- Households in social housing
- 12%
- Households with no car
- 11%
- Adults economically inactive
- 40%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Middle deemed secondary
- Ages
- Ages 9–13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No
- Boarding
- Day school
- Trust
- THE PYRAMID SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Peter Roberts
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Ward
- Barton-le-Clay & Silsoe
- Constituency
- Mid Bedfordshire
- URN
- 136829
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest middle deemed secondary schools
| School | Ofsted | Attainment 8 | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science CollegeAcademy converter | Good 2024 | 50 | 2.9 mi |
| Harlington Upper SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | 47.8 | 2.9 mi |
| Lea Manor High SchoolAcademy sponsor led | No grade | 36.3 | 3.3 mi |
| Lealands High SchoolFoundation school | Good 2023 | 44.3 | 3.7 mi |
| Icknield High SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2024 | 49.4 | 3.8 mi |
| Putteridge High SchoolAcademy converter | No grade | 49.2 | 4.3 mi |
| Stopsley High SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2022 | 42.3 | 4.3 mi |
| Woodland Middle School AcademyAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 4.5 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.