Bedford Free School
Secondary school in Bedford. Standards maintained (Apr 2025).
Latest graded inspection
Inspected 15 January 2020, report published 23 March 2020, under the inspection system used from 2019 to 2025.
Outstanding overall. The top grade under the previous system. 12% of schools whose latest graded inspection was under this system got Outstanding.
| Area | Grade |
|---|---|
| Quality of education | Outstanding |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
| Safeguarding effective | Yes |
These grades come from the system Ofsted replaced in November 2025. They stay on record until the school’s next inspection, when it gets a report card instead. More about the old grades.
Since then: ungraded inspection
Inspected 24 April 2025, report published 8 June 2025.
Standards maintained
An ungraded inspection is a shorter visit to check that a school is still at the grade it was given at its last full inspection. It doesn’t award a new grade. More about ungraded inspections.
Next inspection: around April 2029
The last inspection was in April 2025. Schools are usually inspected about every four years.
An estimate, not an Ofsted date. Ofsted doesn’t publish its schedule and gives schools about a day’s notice. The law says the next inspection must be by August 2030 at the latest, and Ofsted can visit sooner if it has concerns.
Nearby secondary schools
- 0.7 milesCastle Newnham School
Report card, Mar 2026: 7 expected
- 1.1 milesBedford Academy
Good (Mar 2023)
- 1.3 milesGoldington Academy
Report card, May 2026: 6 strong
- 1.3 milesBiddenham International School and Sports College
Standards maintained (Nov 2024)
- 1.5 milesDaubeney Academy
No overall grade. Quality of education good (Jul 2025)
Ofsted data as at 30 September 2026, school details from Get Information about Schools, 26 October 2026.