Watling Lower School

Academy converter·First school Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire·LU6 3BJ

School type

First school

Ages 2–9

Key Stage 2 performance

Watling 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

80%

35 first choices, 28 places

First choices per place

1.25

more first choices than places

Applications naming the school

114

any preference, for 28 places

Applications from another council area

Central Bedfordshire does not publish how far from the school the last child offered a Reception place lived, so there is no cut-off distance to show for Watling Lower School. Ask the school or the council how places were allocated this year.

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

School profile

Age range: 2–9
Pupils on roll: 197
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: None

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6

5.3%

Typical primary: 21.5%

% EAL

14.7%

Typical primary: 9.6%

Staffing & funding

Spend per pupil

£1,643

Typical primary: £6,960

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

Nearby primary schools

Priory Academy Dunstable · 0.3 mi 50.4 Ardley Hill Academy Dunstable · 0.4 mi 42.5 Lark Rise Academy Dunstable · 0.4 mi 68.9 Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School Dunstable · 0.6 mi 29.2 St. Augustine's Academy Dunstable · 0.7 mi 20.8 Lancot School Dunstable · 0.9 mi 49.8 Beecroft Academy Dunstable · 1.0 mi 25.4 St Mary's Catholic Primary School Luton · 1.1 mi 56.6

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 Watling Lower School

Watling Lower School is a primary school in Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 197 pupils aged 2 to 9 attend the school.

Competition for places is real here - 80% of first-choice applicants were offered a Reception place for September 2026 (35 first choices for 28 places). Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 5% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. Watling 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.