Lincroft AcademyBedford Free School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bedford.
Summary of the comparison
Lincroft Academy and Bedford Free School are secondary schools in Bedford.
Lincroft Academy scores 65 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Bedford Free School scores 76 out of 100 (grade B, strong). Bedford Free School is ahead on our composite score.
Lincroft Academy was judged the expected standard and Bedford Free School was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 50.4 for Lincroft Academy and 51.0 for Bedford Free School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Lincroft Academy (55.0 in 2021-22, 50.4 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Bedford Free School (54.6 in 2021-22, 51.0 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BedfordLincroft Academy | BedfordBedford Free School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C65/100 | B76/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 3rd of 14 in Bedford | 1st of 14 in Bedford Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 923 | 536 | |
| Capacity | 1,000 | 500 | |
| Location | Bedford, MK43 7RE | Bedford, MK42 9AD | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 50.4 | 51.0 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 55.7% | 58.3% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 78.4% Stronger figure | 68.0% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 194 | 103 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 931 | 525 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 14.8% | 28.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 7.9% | 64.0% | |
| SEN support | 8.7% | 4.4% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 5.8% | 4.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.9% | 7.7% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 21.8% | 19.4% Stronger figure | 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.
Lincroft Academy
Bedford Free School
Full profiles: Lincroft Academy · Bedford Free School