The Firs Lower School

Academy converter·First school Central Bedfordshire·MK45 2QR

School type

First school

Ages 2–9

Key Stage 2 performance

The Firs Lower School is a first school for pupils aged 2–9. Pupils move on to a separate junior or middle school before Year 6, so the school does not enter pupils for the Key Stage 2 SATs and has no KS2 results to publish.

This applies to every first school in England — it does not mean data is missing. Ofsted judgements and school information are shown below.

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first

100%

43 first choices, 48 places

First choices per place

0.90

fewer first choices than places

Applications naming the school

129

any preference, for 48 places

Applications from another council area

12%

First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.02

00.511.5

1 per place

0.7720221.0220230.8320240.9220250.902026

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

Every child who put The Firs Lower School first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

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

School profile

Age range: 2–9
Pupils on roll: 349
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: None

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6

4.0%

Typical primary: 21.5%

% EAL

3.2%

Typical primary: 9.6%

Special educational needs

% SEN support

7.2%

Typical primary: 14.3%

% with an EHC plan

2.6%

Typical primary: 3.0%

Attendance

Overall absence

4.5%

Typical primary: 5.3%

Persistently absent

8.4%

Typical primary: 13.3%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher

27.2

Typical primary: 20.7

Spend per pupil

£6,237

Typical primary: £6,960

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

Nearby primary schools

Alameda Middle School Bedford · 0.0 mi 36.6 Woodland Middle School Academy Bedford · 1.6 mi 26.5 Holywell School Bedford · 5.4 mi 18.7 Parkfields Middle School Dunstable · 5.5 mi 36.0 Arnold Academy Bedford · 5.6 mi 47.2 Fulbrook School Milton Keynes · 6.2 mi 28.3 Swallowfield Primary Milton Keynes · 6.4 mi 37.1 Meppershall Church of England Academy Shefford · 6.6 mi 19.5

Location

Official sources

Latest Ofsted report reports.ofsted.gov.uk DfE Compare School Performance compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk GIAS school details get-information-schools.service.gov.uk

About The Firs Lower School

The Firs Lower School is a primary school in Central Bedfordshire, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 349 pupils aged 2 to 9 attend the school.

The Firs Lower School was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 43 families who put it first were offered a place. Overall pupil absence was 4.5%. There are about 27.2 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 4% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. The Firs Lower School 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.