Bedford Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,480 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Academy sponsor led
Kempston Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 773of 982 places
- Free school meals
- 30.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 166
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained, 16 October 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registrations: Robert Bruce Middle School (URN 141975, until 1 September 2016); Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College (URN 109665, until 7 September 2015).
What the data says
Of the 75 pupils who finished Year 11 at Kempston Academy in 2023, 12% stayed on in Kempston Academy’s own sixth form (Bedford average 39%), 67% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 47 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 40% went to university (Bedford 24%, England 37%), and 0% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
11% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 40.3 against 46.1 across England and 44.4 in Bedford, with 36% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 | Kempston Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 75 | 2,196 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 80% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 12% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 67% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 11% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 8% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Kempston Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 47 | 4,022 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 64% | 77% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 40% | 24% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 0% | 9% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 21% | 38% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 30% | 17% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Kempston Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 40.3 | 44.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 36% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 36% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.53 | 3.89 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 25% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 25.7 | 34.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.2 | 47.3 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 30% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 161 | 97% | 89% | 18% | 20% | 58% |
| Mathematics | 160 | 96% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 61% |
| English Literature | 157 | 95% | 86% | 11% | 21% | 67% |
| Combined Science | 141 | 85% | 65% | 4% | 9% | 50% |
| History | 92 | 55% | 41% | 22% | 26% | 52% |
| Geography | 77 | 46% | 41% | 5% | 25% | 31% |
| Spanish | 45 | 27% | 19% | 7% | 27% | 36% |
| Physical Education | 38 | 23% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 24% |
| Design and Technology | 35 | 21% | 11% | 3% | 23% | 49% |
| Fine Art | 27 | 16% | 9% | 7% | 28% | 52% |
| Biology | 19 | 11% | 23% | 37% | 45% | 95% |
| Chemistry | 18 | 11% | 23% | 50% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 18 | 11% | 23% | 56% | 46% | 100% |
| French | 17 | 10% | 18% | 18% | 29% | 59% |
| Computer Science | 14 | 8% | 13% | 14% | 30% | 50% |
| Polish | 4 | 2% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Business Studies | 1 | 1% | 18% | — | 20% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Urdu | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 64 | 100% | — |
| Multimedia | 51 | 100% | — |
| Small Business Management | 42 | 100% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 33 | 100% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 28 | 100% | — |
| Sports Studies | 20 | 100% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | 17 | 100% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 11 | 100% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Kempston Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 6 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 3 | 1,110 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | — | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | — | 30.14 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | — | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | — | 11% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology | — | — | 13% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 2 | 9 | 100% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
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
Goldington Academy
Academy converter · 958 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.3
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.