Official inspection reports and grades
Inspected 20 May 2025
Compared with the local authority and England
The share of pupils reaching the standard expected for their age, and the share going beyond it.
| Measure | School | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing & maths — expected | 77% | 57% | 63% |
| Reading, writing & maths — higher | 0% | 3% | 8% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — expected | 83% | 70% | 73% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — higher | 33% | 24% | 30% |
A score of 100 is the expected standard; 110 or more is a higher standard.
| Subject | School | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 107 | 105 | 106 |
| Maths | 106 | 103 | 105 |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling | 107 | 104 | 105 |
School workforce census, 2025/26.
Ofsted’s survey of parents at this school
75%
of parents would recommend this school to another parent
106 responses up to 1 September 2025 · 25% response rate
My child is happy at this school.
90% agreeMy child feels safe at this school.
91% agreeThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.
77% agreeMy child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.
39% agreeThe school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.
92% agreeCotton End Forest School's last overall grade from Ofsted was Requires Improvement, on 24 January 2023. Ofsted inspected it again on 20 May 2025 without giving an overall grade, as single-word grades ended in September 2024.
Apply through the council where you live by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference, and offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day. A place in its nursery class does not carry on into Reception, so you still need to apply.
No. Distance only counts when Cotton End Forest School has more applicants than places. Then its admission criteria, set by the local authority, Bedford, decide who is offered a place first. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or a catchment area. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
Cotton End Forest School had 418 pupils aged 2 to 11 at the latest school census. Its official capacity is 630. It is a mixed school.