Biddenham International School and Sports College

Foundation school·Secondary school Bedford·MK40 4AZ
Composite score
52.6
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#2,204
National rank
#244
In East of England
#10
In Bedford
Top 70%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
42.1
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
36%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
57%
% EBacc grade 5+
4%
EBacc average points score
3.28

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
92%
267 first choices, 252 places
First choices per place
1.06
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
624
any preference, for 252 places
Last place offered lived
1.79 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 2888 m
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.22
00.511.5
1 per place
0.8920221.0020231.1320241.2820251.062026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,357
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
35.3%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
49.4%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
5.8%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.9%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
9.2%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
28.5%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
12.8
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£8,789
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
93%
191 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
91%
Apprenticeship
0%
Employment
2%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

Biddenham International School and Sports College is a secondary school serving Bedford, classified by the DfE as a foundation school. It has 1,357 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 42.1, below the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 1.7 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

36% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 57% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Competition for places is real here - 92% of first-choice applicants were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026 (267 first choices for 252 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 1.79 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. After Year 11, 93% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 9.2%. There are about 12.8 pupils per teacher. Biddenham International School and Sports College does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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