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The Firs Lower School

The Firs Lower School logo
AcademyPrimaryNursery

The Firs Lower School

Ages29
349 pupils
Good· Nov 2013
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Get notified about changes

Details

Type

Academy Converter

Local Authority

Central Bedfordshire

Academy Trust

THE FIRS LOWER SCHOOL

Head Teacher

Mr Adam Campbell

Gender

Mixed

Admissions

Non-selective

Religious Character

Does not apply

Opened

January 2012

Website

www.firslower.co.uk

Reference Number

137756

Additional Provisions

Nursery Provision

About This Data

  • School information is sourced from Get Information About Schools (GIAS), the official UK government register maintained by the Department for Education.

Admissions

How many families applied and received places

Reception entry for 2025/26

On Time Applications

Count
Total applications132
As 1st preference55
As 2nd preference59
As 3rd preference18
From another local authority16

Offers on National Offer Day

Count
Total offers60
To 1st preference51
To 2nd preference8
To 3rd preference1
To any preference60
To another local authority6

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE "Primary and secondary school applications and offers" statistics.
  • Total applications includes all preferences (1st through 6th), not just those shown in the breakdown above.
  • Applications and offers from/to another local authority may also appear in preference rows (e.g., a 1st preference from another local authority counts in both rows).
  • "Oversubscribed" means the school received more 1st preference applications than places offered.
  • This school is a academy converter, admissions are controlled by the school itself, we advise you contact the school or check their website for further information. This school's local authority is Central Bedfordshire.

Pupils

Summary

Total Pupils349 (100% of capacity)
Age Range2 – 9
GenderMixed
Boys / Girls52% / 48%
Free School Meals2.9%
English as Additional Language3.2%
SEN Support7.2%
SEN with EHCP2.6%
Overall Attendance95.5%
Persistent Absence8.4%

Class Sizes

Overall Average31.9
Key Stage 126.5
Key Stage 228.8

Total Pupils

Cohort Sizes

Nursery74
Reception60
Year 156
Year 243
Year 357
Year 458

Pupil Ethnicities

White British84.0%
White Other4.6%
Mixed Other3.7%
White & Black Caribbean1.7%
Indian1.7%
White & Asian0.9%
African0.9%
Caribbean0.6%
Other0.6%
Unclassified0.6%
Pakistani0.3%
Asian Other0.3%
Black Other0.3%

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the National School Census for 2024/25, collected each January.
  • This is not live data. For current availability of places, contact the school or local authority directly.
  • Capacity refers to the maximum number of pupils a school can accommodate. Schools may operate above or below capacity, and spare places may only be available in certain year groups.
  • Persistent absence means a pupil missed 10% or more of their possible sessions during the academic year. Absence rates during 2020–2022 were significantly higher due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inspections

Ofsted Inspections

5 inspections on record

Current Rating
Good· Nov 2013

About This Data

  • Inspection data is sourced from Ofsted, the official schools inspectorate for England.
  • Ratings may have changed since the last inspection. Always check the latest report for current information.
  • Some inspections (monitoring visits, academy conversions) do not result in a graded judgement.

Workforce

Staff numbers and pupil-to-teacher ratios

Pupils per Teacher or Teaching Assistant

Shows how many children each teacher looks after on average. The lower line includes teaching assistants, giving you a better picture of the adult support available in classrooms.

Total Pupils

The number of children enrolled at this school over time. These figures come from financial records and may differ slightly from other pupil numbers on this site due to when data was collected.

Total Number of Teachers

The total teaching capacity at this school, including classroom teachers and senior staff who also teach. Part-time teachers are counted based on their working hours.

Teaching Assistants

Support staff who work directly with children in classrooms. This includes regular TAs, higher-level TAs with more responsibilities, and specialist support for children with additional needs.

Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (%)

The percentage of teachers who have completed official teacher training in England. A higher percentage typically indicates a more experienced and formally trained teaching team.

Senior Leadership

The school's leadership team, including the headteacher, deputy heads and assistant heads. These staff manage the school and often still spend time in classrooms.

Non-classroom Support Staff and Auxiliary Staff

Office and admin staff who keep the school running smoothly, plus auxiliary staff like catering teams and site maintenance who look after the building and meals.

Total Headcount and Workforce

Two ways of counting staff: headcount shows total people employed (including part-timers), while workforce counts the equivalent number of full-time positions.

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE School Workforce Census. Numbers may not match exactly other data shown on this site due to different collection timings within the academic year.
  • FTE = Full-time equivalent, representing the total working hours divided by standard full-time hours. Headcount = total number of individuals employed.
  • Senior leadership includes headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers.
  • Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) have completed accredited initial teacher training in England.

Finances

2023/24

Income per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the revenue reserve was £358,000 or £1,187 p/pupil. Schools maintain reserves for unexpected costs, but these funds are ultimately meant to benefit pupils.

Expenditure per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the in-year balance was £169,000 or £561 p/pupil. A positive balance means the school had money left over, which goes into reserves for future use.

About This Data

  • Financial data comes from the DfE School Financial Benchmarking service. Schools report their income and spending each year.
  • Revenue reserve is the money a school has saved up over time. Schools keep reserves to cover unexpected costs, though funds are meant to benefit current pupils.
  • In-year balance shows whether a school spent more or less than it received in a single year. A positive balance means the school had money left over; a negative balance means it dipped into savings.

Contact Information

Address

Station Road
Ampthill
Bedford
Bedfordshire
MK45 2QR

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