Independent primary school in Bedford
Polam School
45 Lansdowne Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 2BU
Ofsted
Ofsted has not published an inspection outcome for this school.
This is usual for schools that have opened recently, and for most independent schools, which are inspected by ISI or another approved body rather than Ofsted.
Exam results
Independent schools are not comparable in the performance tables. Most enter pupils for international GCSEs, which are not approved qualifications for these measures, so any Attainment 8 figure would be calculated from a fraction of what pupils actually sit. We do not publish one rather than publish a misleading number.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 99
- Places
- 207
- How full
- 48% full — 99 of 207 places taken, so places are likely to be available
- Girls / boys
- 49 / 50
Free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN figures come from the state school census, which independent schools do not report into. Their records return structural zeros rather than measurements, so they are not shown here.
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Bedford 010E, 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
- 39%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 23%
- Households owning their home
- 31%
- Households in social housing
- 17%
- Households with no car
- 44%
- Adults economically inactive
- 40%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Other independent school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- Ages 1–9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Yes
- Boarding
- Day school
- Headteacher
- Head Teacher: Darren O'Neil
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Ward
- Harpur
- Constituency
- Bedford
- URN
- 109720
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Livingstone Primary SchoolFoundation school | Good 2023 | 49% | 0.2 mi |
| Priory Primary SchoolFoundation school | No grade | 50% | 0.2 mi |
| Edith Cavell Primary SchoolFoundation school | Good 2024 | 58% | 0.5 mi |
| Great Ouse Primary AcademyFree schools | Good 2022 | 67% | 0.6 mi |
| Queen's Park AcademyAcademy converter | Good 2022 | 61% | 0.7 mi |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | 44% | 0.7 mi |
| Westfield Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2022 | 48% | 0.8 mi |
| Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory SchoolOther independent school | No grade | — | 1 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.