Goldington AcademyMark Rutherford School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bedford.
Summary of the comparison
Goldington Academy and Mark Rutherford School are secondary schools in Bedford.
Goldington Academy scores 76 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and Mark Rutherford School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Goldington Academy is ahead on our composite score.
Goldington Academy was judged strong and Mark Rutherford School was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 52.0 for Goldington Academy and 40.7 for Mark Rutherford School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Goldington Academy (54.8 in 2021-22, 52.0 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Mark Rutherford School (42.7 in 2021-22, 40.7 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BedfordGoldington Academy | BedfordMark Rutherford School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B76/100Stronger figure | D54/100 | |
| Local ranking | 2nd of 14 in Bedford Stronger figure | 11th of 14 in Bedford | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | Ofsted: Expected | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 958 | 1,150 | |
| Capacity | 750 | 1,243 | |
| Location | Bedford, MK41 9BX | Bedford, MK41 8PX | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 52.0 Stronger figure | 40.7 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 59.7% Stronger figure | 28.3% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 75.4% Stronger figure | 59.0% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 191 | 212 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | Not reported | 78 | |
| A-level average points | Not reported | 28.3 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | Not reported | C- | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | Not reported | 29.5 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | Not reported | 11.6% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 942 | 1,180 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 22.9% | 27.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 18.3% | 13.6% | |
| SEN support | 13.5% | 14.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.3% | 3.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 6.1% Stronger figure | 9.1% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 16.7% Stronger figure | 28.7% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Goldington Academy
Mark Rutherford School
Full profiles: Goldington Academy · Mark Rutherford School