School organisation changes

Consultation – full proposal: Westfield Primary School 

We are formally consulting on the proposal to add a funded early years provision for children aged 3+ at Westfield Primary School. 

This consultation is for parents, carers, governors, staff, pupils, and other people who have an interest in the school and in the proposal. Bedford Borough Council as the local authority (LA) will consider your views and responses before taking the proposal forward.

Background to the proposed changes of age range, expansion of school

In order to support early years in the community, Westfield Primary School would like to develop a pre-school attached to the main site. The pre-school would work alongside the early years department and children from the pre-school would feed into the reception class. 

In order to expand Westfield Primary School to include a pre-school for children aged 3+ years, the Department for Education requires the Council to publish proposals to change the age range, as set out in the guidance here. 

Demand for early years provision

Bedford Borough is a great place to live and work – and recent census results show it to be one of the fastest growing local authority areas in England. We expect the number of residents and homes to grow in the coming years. New homes are being built in many areas and there are good transport links by road and rail for many centres of employment.

The third phase of the expanded entitlements of working parents to funded childcare, effective from September 2025, is expected to continue to create additional demand for early years provision. The proposal to expand the age range at Westfield Primary School will ensure the school is able to support with this additional demand.

Westfield Primary School is keen to be sustainable into the future and feels the best approach would be to further develop the early years capacity. Opening the school to early years children could improve outcomes at the end of Reception, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who do not speak English as a first language.

Westfield Primary School is rated good across all categories by Ofsted (last inspection 25 May 2022), and the Council feels that the school are in a strong position to open an early years nursery provision.

The effect on other educational institutions within the area

The Department for Education carried out an analysis of childcare needed in the Queens Park ward (local authority readiness analytical output for Bedford, September 2024). This report indicates that the Queens Park ward will have insufficient childcare places to provide for the early years entitlements expansion for working parents and therefore requires an additional 44 childcare places in this ward by September 2025, although demand could exceed this. 

The proposal

The proposal is to offer 40 places (20 morning sessions and 20 afternoon sessions) from November 2025, following the completion of a capital scheme to extend the nursery provision. The school’s governing body has given its support to this proposal to increase the age range of the school to include 3+ year olds.

Bedford Borough Council will consult from 30 June 2025 to 5 September 2025 to enable the school to fully engage with all stakeholders and consultees and provide plenty of opportunities to respond.

Consultation timeline

The timeline below details the key steps in the consultation process. 

Responding to the consultation

If you wish to respond to this consultation with your views or comments, please complete the online consultation questionnaire using the online form below:

Westfield Primary School Survey

If you are unable to use the online form you can request a paper copy by emailing Charlie Cotter, Pupil Place Planning Officer: charlotte.cotter@bedford.gov.uk

Would you like to discuss this proposal in person?

If you would like to speak with representatives of Westfield Primary School about the proposals, we are holding an in-person, question-and-answer session at Westfield Primary School on 8 July 2025 at 3pm.