Bedford Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,480 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Academy converter
Goldington Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 958of 750 places
- Free school meals
- 22.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 177
- Ofsted
- Report card, 12 May 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Strong standardAchievement Strong standardAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Strong standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Goldington Middle School (URN 109642, until 1 April 2011).
What the data says
Goldington Academy has no sixth form. Of the 154 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 62% to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 54.3 against 46.1 across England and 44.4 in Bedford, with 64% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 42% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
Almost nobody goes straight into an apprenticeship or a job: none took an apprenticeship and 1% went into work, against 3% and 3% across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Bedford and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Goldington Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 154 | 2,196 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 95% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 32% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 62% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Goldington Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 54.3 | 44.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 64% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 88% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 57% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.97 | 3.89 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 25% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 46.8 | 34.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 56.9 | 47.3 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 29% | 26% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 177 | 100% | 88% | 29% | 22% | 90% |
| English Language | 177 | 100% | 89% | 33% | 20% | 89% |
| English Literature | 174 | 98% | 86% | 30% | 21% | 91% |
| Combined Science | 132 | 75% | 65% | 6% | 9% | 70% |
| Geography | 100 | 56% | 41% | 33% | 25% | 75% |
| French | 75 | 42% | 18% | 28% | 29% | 89% |
| History | 70 | 40% | 41% | 20% | 26% | 71% |
| Psychology | 54 | 31% | 3% | 17% | 22% | 63% |
| Physics | 44 | 25% | 23% | 64% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 44 | 25% | 23% | 61% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 44 | 25% | 23% | 64% | 47% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 43 | 24% | 13% | 33% | 30% | 77% |
| Religious Studies | 34 | 19% | 31% | 44% | 32% | 94% |
| Design and Technology | 32 | 18% | 11% | 6% | 23% | 38% |
| Fine Art | 27 | 15% | 9% | 48% | 28% | 93% |
| Physical Education | 25 | 14% | 11% | 8% | 24% | 76% |
| Spanish | 18 | 10% | 19% | 17% | 27% | 72% |
| Music | 17 | 10% | 5% | 41% | 33% | 76% |
| Polish | 9 | 5% | 1% | 67% | 84% | 100% |
| Drama | 9 | 5% | 7% | 11% | 27% | 89% |
| Dance | 5 | 3% | 1% | — | 27% | — |
| Astronomy | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 29% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| German | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 51 | — | — |
| Tourism | 50 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 21 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 20 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 15 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 15 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Bedford
Bedford Free School
Free schools · 536 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.5
Biddenham International School and Sports College
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,422 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.1
Daubeney Academy
Academy converter · 576 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.5
Kempston Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 773 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
Lincroft Academy
Academy converter · 923 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.0
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.