secondary results put Leighton Buzzard’s state schools ahead of 64% of towns in England; primary results, of 16%
54% of Leighton Buzzard’s primary pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, close to Bedfordshire’s towns (53%) and below towns in England (62%). 18 state-funded schools are located in Leighton Buzzard’s built-up area. Leighton Buzzard grades C+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #5 of 31 in Bedfordshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
8 of Leighton Buzzard’s 18 state schools belong to 6 academy trusts. Chiltern Learning Trust runs 3 of them, including Cedars Upper, Gilbert Inglefield and Linslade: 1,856 of the 4,568 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
Popular schools are full
10 of 17 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity, including Linslade and Vandyke Upper among the secondaries. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Leighton Buzzard grades C+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (54% meet the standard)Better than 16% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (48.6 and 48%)Better than 64% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Leighton Buzzard; the primary figure holds it back.
The primary figure: 4 primaries in the town, 1,846 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 2 secondaries in the town, 577 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Leighton Buzzard’s 18 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Leighton Buzzard’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 6 secondaries are named.
Getting a place
How school places work in Leighton Buzzard
Central Bedfordshire Council handles applications for every state school in Leighton Buzzard, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 1 of Leighton Buzzard’s 17 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 10 schools are at or over it.
The Rushmere Park incl. nursery138%
Heathwood Lower incl. nursery130%
Dovery incl. nursery127%
Greenleas incl. nursery111%
Linslade109%
Vandyke Upper105%
Southcott Lower incl. nursery104%
Leedon Lower incl. nursery102%
Clipstone Brook Lower incl. nursery102%
Pulford incl. nursery102%
Show all 16 schools
Brooklands Middle100%
Leighton Middle100%
Beaudesert Lower96%
The Mary Bassett Lower incl. nursery90%
Cedars Upper84%
Linslade Lower incl. nursery80%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
18 state schools in Leighton Buzzard
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Leighton Buzzard’s schoolsA1B3C0D212 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Good 6Report card 4Ungraded inspection only 8
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 4 of Leighton Buzzard’s 18 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Central Bedfordshire CouncilGreenleas, Leighton Middle, The Mary Bassett Lower, Leedon Lower, Southcott Lower, Clipstone Brook Lower, Beaudesert Lower, Pulford, Heathwood Lower, Linslade Lower
10
3,538
A
After 16
Where Leighton Buzzard’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
2 of Leighton Buzzard’s 6 state secondaries have sixth forms: Cedars Upper and Vandyke Upper. The nearest college is Milton Keynes College, a further-education college 8.6 miles away.
Special schools and alternative provision in Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard has 1 special school (Oak Bank: 123 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Central Bedfordshire Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Central Bedfordshire Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
98th of 154 English towns of 30,000 to 58,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Leighton Buzzard, and the top and bottom of the group.
Stewkley 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.6 mi
C
58%
—
Totternhoe 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.7 mi
C−
58%
39.9
Wing has the best-graded schools nearby (B+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three.
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Leighton Buzzard
Are schools in Leighton Buzzard good?
Leighton Buzzard’s state schools earn a C+ against schools across England: primary results beat 16% of towns in England; secondary results beat 64% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Central Bedfordshire council.
What is the best secondary school in Leighton Buzzard?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Cedars Upper School: Attainment 8 of 50.1 and 50% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
Do Leighton Buzzard secondary schools have sixth forms?
2 of 6 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Leighton Buzzard?
Through Central Bedfordshire Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Leighton Buzzard are full?
10 of 16 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Leighton Buzzard?
18 open state-funded schools are located in Leighton Buzzard’s built-up area: 11 primary, 6 secondary and 1 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
