Holywell School - The School Companion

Holywell School

Central Bedfordshire · MK43 0JA

General information Secondary School · 9-13 years Who goes here 668 pupils, 17.4% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.7% on SEN support Behaviour 5.7% absence rate Staff 17.4% turnover Financials £6,447 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Holywell School

General Information

Address: Red Lion Close, Cranfield, Bedford, MK43 0JA – View on map
Phone: 01234750381
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Headteacher Michael Simpson
Age range: 9-13 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

668 pupils out of 720 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 116
% eligible for free school meals: 17.4%
Pupil mix: 5 in 10 (more mixed than the Central Bedfordshire average)
English as an additional language: 8% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 17.4% a year (Central Bedfordshire 15.8%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 56% moved to another school, 44% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Central Bedfordshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 33 (1.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 42 (1.8 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 10 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Central Bedfordshire, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.7%
Persistently absent pupils: 15.3%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 45 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 29 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 12 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 8 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 6 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 6 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 5 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 4 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

An Attainment 8 score for this school hasn't been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

7th of 17 secondary schools in Central Bedfordshire for Ofsted rating

#5Etonbury AcademyGood
#6Harlington Upper SchoolGood
#7Holywell SchoolGood
#8Leighton Middle SchoolGood
#9Linslade SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Alameda Middle SchoolGood
#2Arnold AcademyGood
#3Brooklands Middle SchoolGood
#4Cedars Upper SchoolGood
#5Etonbury AcademyGood
#6Harlington Upper SchoolGood
#7Holywell SchoolGood
#8Leighton Middle SchoolGood
#9Linslade SchoolGood
#10Parkfields Middle SchoolGood
#11Pix Brook AcademyGood
#12Priory AcademyGood
#13Queensbury AcademyGood
#14Redborne Upper School and Community CollegeGood
#15Samuel Whitbread AcademyGood
#16Vandyke Upper SchoolGood
#17Woodland Middle School AcademyGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,447 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

23rd of 26 secondary schools in Central Bedfordshire for spending per pupil

#21Priory Academy£6,639
#22Alameda Middle School£6,504
#23Holywell School£6,447
#24Etonbury Academy£6,429
#25Linslade School£5,991

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Edward Peake CofE VC School£9,648
#2All Saints Academy Dunstable£9,007
#3Henlow Church of England Academy£8,051
#4Redborne Upper School and Community College£7,868
#5Sandy Secondary School£7,839
#6Houstone School£7,483
#7Parkfields Middle School£7,472
#8Samuel Whitbread Academy£7,456
#9Manshead Church of England Academy£7,440
#10Stratton School£7,420
#11Vandyke Upper School£7,386
#12Fulbrook School£7,346
#13Woodland Middle School Academy£7,307
#14Cedars Upper School£7,216
#15Harlington Upper School£7,195
#16Pix Brook Academy£7,035
#17Robert Bloomfield Academy£6,950
#18Queensbury Academy£6,868
#19Arnold Academy£6,765
#20Leighton Middle School£6,689
#21Priory Academy£6,639
#22Alameda Middle School£6,504
#23Holywell School£6,447
#24Etonbury Academy£6,429
#25Linslade School£5,991
#26Brooklands Middle School£4,449

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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