Most schools in our area have a catchment area policy. There will be a lower, primary, middle, secondary and upper school which serves the area in which you live.
Some catchment areas cross local authority boundaries. Some Central Bedfordshire home addresses are found in Bedford Borough catchment areas.
There are a growing number of schools which do not have a catchment area. Some of these are faith schools that have never had a catchment area. Other schools have removed the catchment area from their admission policy. These schools are marked * within the gazetteer.
We cannot guarantee you a place at your catchment area school.
Contact the School Admissions Service on 01234 718120 or admissions@bedford.gov.uk for school admissions help.
Schools listed below are catchment area schools for admissions criteria purposes only. They do not relate to free home to school transport. Free home to school transport is no longer provided on the basis of catchment areas.
Go to school transport or contact school.transport@bedford.gov.uk before selecting a preferred school.
Towns and villages with their school catchment areas
Towns and villages in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire are listed below. Scroll down to the appropriate town or village to find the catchment area school. Links provide further information when there are a number of schools within the community.
Key:
- BBC = Bedford Borough Council
- CBC = Central Bedfordshire Council
* The school for this address no longer has a catchment area as part of its admission policy
| Town or Village | Local Authority Area | Primary School | Variations | Secondary School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | BBC | Link to Bedford | Link to Bedford | |
| Begwary | BBC | Wilden | Mark Rutherford | |
| Biddenham | BBC | St James | Biddenham | |
Bletsoe (Crossways Farmhouse is in the parish of Sharnbrook) | BBC | Riseley | Sharnbrook | |
| Blunham | CBC | John Donne | Sandy | |
| Bolnhurst and Keysoe | BBC | Kymbrook | Sharnbrook | |
| Bourne End | CBC | Cranfield (Years R - 4) | Holywell (Years 5-8) | Wootton (for Year 9 and above) |
Bromham (Some properties on Box End Road are in parish of Kempston Rural. | BBC | Bromham VC | Biddenham or Lincroft | |
Cardington (Summerhill House, Meadow Lane are in Bedford. The new Cardington development is in Eastcotts parish) | BBC | Shortstown | Bedford Academy | |
| Carlton and Chellington | BBC | Carlton | Sharnbrook | |
| Chalton (near Moggerhanger) | CBC | Moggerhanger | Sandy | |
| Chawston | BBC | Roxton | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
| Chellington | BBC | Carlton | Sharnbrook | |
Clapham (Some properties on Clapham Road are in Bedford. Brownswood Farm is in parish of Oakley. Properties in Twinwoods are in Milton Ernest) | BBC | Ursula Taylor | Lincroft | |
| Colesden | BBC | Roxton | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
Colmworth (Millfield Cottage and Berry Wood Farm are in Little Staughton. Orchard Cottage is in Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden. The following properties have a postal address of Colmworth but are in the parish of Staploe: Honeypot Cottage, Thatched Cottage, Home Farm Cottage, Bushmead Farm, The Lodge, White Cottage and Upper Honeydon Farm) | BBC | Wilden | Mark Rutherford or Sharnbrook | |
| Cople | BBC | Sheerhatch | Bedford Academy or Mark Rutherford | |
| Cotton End | BBC | Cotton End or Shortstown | Bedford Academy | |
| Cranfield | CBC | Cranfield (Years R - 4) | Holywell (Years 5 - 8) | Wootton (for Year 9 and above) |
Dean and Shelton | BBC | Eileen Wade | Sharnbrook | |
| Duloe | BBC | Wilden | Sandy or Sharnbrook or Mark Rutherford | |
| Eastcotts | BBC | Cotton End or Shortstown | Bedford Academy | |
Eaton Socon (Cambs) (Cobholden Cottage/Farm and the Two Brewers are in parish of Staploe, despite having addresses in Eaton Socon which is Cambs) | BBC | Wilden | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
| Elstow | BBC | * | Bedford Academy | |
| Farndish | BBC | Christopher Reeves | Sharnbrook | |
| Felmersham | BBC | Pinchmill | Sharnbrook | |
| Great Barford | BBC | Great Barford | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
| Great Denham | BBC | Great Denham or St James | Biddenham | |
Hail Weston (Cambs) (Sharp's Barn and Sharpes House are in parish of Staploe, although have address in Hail Weston, which is Cambs) | BBC | Wilden | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
Hargrave (Northants) (Mill View Farm is in parish of Dean and Shelton, although address is Hargrave, which is Northants) | BBC | Eileen Wade | Sharnbrook | |
| Harrold | BBC | Harrold | Sharnbrook | |
| Harrowden | BBC | Shortstown | Bedford Academy | |
| Hatch End | BBC | Kymbrook | Sharnbrook | |
| Hinwick | BBC | Christopher Reeves | Sharnbrook | |
| Honeydon | BBC | Wilden | Mark Rutherford or Sharnbrook | |
| Houghton Conquest (village) | CBC | Houghton Conquest (Years R - 4) | Marston Vale (Years 5 - 8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Houghton Conquest (Wixams Development) | CBC/BBC | CBC and BBC Lakeview or Willow Grove | CBC Marston Vale (Years 5 - 8) | CBC Wootton (Year 9 and above) BBC Bedford Academy |
| Kempston | BBC | Link to Kempston | * | |
Kempston Hardwick (Cowbridge Cottage which is in Kempston gazetteer. Kiln Road, Chimney Corner and Travellers Site are in Broadmead Lower catchment.) | BBC | Houghton Conquest (Years R - 4) | Marston Vale (Years 5 - 8) | Wootton (Year 9 and over) |
| Keysoe | BBC | Kymbrook | Sharnbrook | |
| Keysoe Row | BBC | Kymbrook | Sharnbrook | |
| Knotting and Souldrop | BBC | Sharnbrook | Sharnbrook | |
| Lidlington | CBC | Thomas Johnson (Years R - 4) | Marston Vale (Years 5 - 8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Little Barford | BBC | Roxton | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
| Little Barford - Little End | Cambs | Cambridgeshire | Cambridgeshire | Cambridgeshire |
Little Staughton (Bassmead Barns, Moor Road PE19 5BJ is in Staploe.) | BBC | Kymbrook | Sharnbrook | |
| Lower Dean | BBC | Eileen Wade | Sharnbrook | |
| Lower Shelton | CBC | CBC | Marston Vale (Years 5-8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Marston Moretaine | CBC | CBC | Marston Vale (Years 5-8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Melchbourne | BBC | Riseley | Sharnbrook | |
Milton Ernest (Coombelands Park is in Bletsoe.) | BBC | Milton Ernest | Sharnbrook | |
Moggerhanger (Willowhill Cottages, Bedford Road, Moggerhanger which are BBC and in parish of Willington) | CBC | Moggerhanger | Sandy | |
| Oakley | BBC | Oakley | Lincroft | |
| Odell | BBC | Harrold | Sharnbrook | |
Pavenham | BBC | Pinchmill | Sharnbrook | |
| Pertenhall | BBC | Riseley | Sharnbrook | |
| Podington (Including Hinwick) | BBC | Christopher Reeves | Sharnbrook | |
| Radwell | BBC | Pinchmill | Sharnbrook | |
| Ravensden (Glenrose Avenue, Wagstaffe Close, Cleat Hill and Woodlands Park are in Bedford) | BBC | Ravensden | Mark Rutherford | |
| Renhold (Developments off Norse Road are in Bedford.) | BBC | Renhold | Mark Rutherford | |
| Riseley | BBC | Riseley | Sharnbrook | |
| Roxton | BBC | Roxton | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
Sharnbrook (Chettles Close is in Bletsoe. Glebe Farm, Odell Road is in Odell.) | BBC | Sharnbrook | Sharnbrook | |
| Shelton and Dean | BBC | Eileen Wade | Sharnbrook | |
| Shelton (Near Marston Moretaine) | CBC | CBC | Marston Vale (Years 5-8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Shortstown | BBC | Shortstown or Cotton End | Bedford Academy | |
| Souldrop (and Knotting) | BBC | Sharnbrook | Sharnbrook | |
Stagsden (Mount Pleasant Farm/Grange are in Turvey) | BBC | Bromham VC | Biddenham or Lincroft | |
| Staploe | BBC | Wilden | Sandy or Sharnbrook or Mark Rutherford | |
| Staughton Moor | BBC | Cambridgeshire | Cambridgeshire | Cambridgeshire |
Stevington (Midway House, Stevington are in Carlton and Chellington parishes. The Spinney is in Pavenham) | BBC | Bromham VC | Lincroft | |
| Stewartby | BBC | Broadmead (Years R - 4) | Marston Vale (Years 5-8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Stewartby (Claydon Orchard, Georgian Croft, Heather Mead, Hereward Green, Longville Grove, parts of Milton Crescent and parts of Saxon Gold Drive) | CBC | Houghton Conquest (Years R -4) | Marston Vale (Years 5-8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Swineshead | BBC | Riseley | Sharnbrook | |
| Tempsford | CBC | Roxton | Sandy | |
Thurleigh (Some properties in Thurleigh Business Park are in Bletsoe and Riseley parishes.) | BBC | Thurleigh | Sharnbrook | |
| Turvey | BBC | Turvey | Sharnbrook | |
| Upper Dean | BBC | Eileen Wade | Sharnbrook | |
| Upper Shelton | CBC | CBC | Marston Vale (Years 5-8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Upper Staploe | BBC | Wilden | Sandy or Sharnbrook or Mark Rutherford | |
Wilden (Blacklands, Kimbolton Road are in Bolnhurst and Keysoe parishes) | BBC | Wilden | Mark Rutherford or Sharnbrook | |
| Willington | BBC | Sheerhatch | Bedford Academy or Mark Rutherford | |
Wilstead (Bedford Road - odds 117> and evens 78>, Dane Lane, Kenneth Way and Watson Road are in Lakeview catchment as they are in the area of Wixams) | BBC | Wilstead | Bedford Academy | |
| Wixams | BBC | Lakeview or Willow Grove | Bedford Academy | |
Wootton (Acrey Farm House, Belmont and CP Farm are in Stewartby and Wootton Green) | BBC | Wootton (Years R - 4) | Holywell (Years 5 - 8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Wootton Green | CBC / BBC depending on address | Shelton (Years R - 4) | Marston Vale (Years 5 - 8) | Wootton (Year 9 and above) |
| Wyboston | BBC | Roxton | Sandy or Mark Rutherford | |
| Wymington | BBC | St Lawrence | Sharnbrook | |
| Yielden | BBC | Eileen Wade or Riseley | Sharnbrook |