Bedford Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,480 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Free schools
Wixams Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 903of 1,750 places
- Free school meals
- 22.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 168
- Ofsted
- Report card, 3 March 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Needs attentionPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Needs attentionLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Expected standardSafeguarding Met
What the data says
Of the 114 pupils who finished Year 11 at Wixams Academy in 2023, 33% stayed on in Wixams Academy’s own sixth form (Bedford average 39%), 53% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Food Preparation and Nutrition is unusually popular at GCSE: 26% of the year group took it, against 8% of pupils across England.
A level grades average C-, well below the England average of B-; 4% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Business Studies, Mathematics and Economics.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.5 against 46.1 across England and 44.4 in Bedford, with 52% 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 | Wixams Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 114 | 2,196 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 33% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 53% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Wixams Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.5 | 44.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 52% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 51% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.25 | 3.89 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 18% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.5 | 34.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 50.1 | 47.3 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 20% | 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 | 167 | 99% | 89% | 23% | 20% | 73% |
| Mathematics | 167 | 99% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 78% |
| English Literature | 166 | 99% | 86% | 17% | 21% | 81% |
| Combined Science | 133 | 79% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 52% |
| Spanish | 97 | 58% | 19% | 19% | 27% | 60% |
| History | 85 | 51% | 41% | 32% | 26% | 78% |
| Business Studies | 58 | 35% | 18% | 17% | 20% | 71% |
| Physical Education | 55 | 33% | 11% | 11% | 24% | 64% |
| Geography | 53 | 32% | 41% | 21% | 25% | 62% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 43 | 26% | 8% | 12% | 21% | 74% |
| Design and Technology | 37 | 22% | 11% | 16% | 23% | 54% |
| Biology | 33 | 20% | 23% | 33% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 33 | 20% | 23% | 36% | 46% | 94% |
| Chemistry | 32 | 19% | 23% | 31% | 47% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 27 | 16% | 9% | 11% | 28% | 70% |
| Media Studies | 23 | 14% | 4% | 26% | 20% | 78% |
| Computer Science | 22 | 13% | 13% | 27% | 30% | 45% |
| Dance | 20 | 12% | 1% | 20% | 27% | 65% |
| Drama | 20 | 12% | 7% | 10% | 27% | 60% |
| Religious Studies | 17 | 10% | 31% | 53% | 32% | 94% |
| French | 15 | 9% | 18% | 20% | 29% | 60% |
| Music | 11 | 7% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 45% |
| Polish | 4 | 2% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 28 | 72% | — |
| Small Business Management | 21 | 54% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Wixams Academy | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 75 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 39 | 1,110 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 25.05 | 30.14 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 4% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | 11 | 28% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 11 | 28% | 31% |
| Economics | 10 | 26% | 13% |
| Sociology | 9 | 23% | 13% |
| Psychology | 6 | 15% | 23% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Law | — | — | 4% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 11 | 28% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 10 | 26% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
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
Kempston Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 773 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
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.