St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-SchoolSt James' CofE Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Bedford.
Summary of the comparison
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School and St James' CofE Academy are primary schools in Bedford.
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School scores 44 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and St James' CofE Academy scores 66 out of 100 (grade C, average). St James' CofE Academy is ahead on our composite score.
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School was judged Good and St James' CofE Academy was judged Good.
On the share of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, the latest published figures are 44.0% for St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School and 54.0% for St James' CofE Academy.
The share of pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 has held broadly level at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School (45.0% in 2022-23, 44.0% in 2024-25) and has fallen at St James' CofE Academy (71.0% in 2022-23, 54.0% in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BedfordSt Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School | BedfordSt James' CofE Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D44/100 | C66/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 41st of 51 in Bedford | 8th of 51 in Bedford Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Primary | Primary | |
| Age range | 4-11 | 5-11 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 328 | 192 | |
| Capacity | 525 | 210 | |
| Location | Bedford, MK40 4AT | Bedford, MK40 4BD | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | 44.0% | 54.0% Stronger figure | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | 0.0% | 11.0% Stronger figure | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | 103.0 | 105.0 Stronger figure | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | 101.0 | 103.0 Stronger figure | 105.0 |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 328 | 192 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 31.4% | 19.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 83.2% | 13.5% | |
| SEN support | 12.5% | 11.5% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.3% | 1.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.5% | 4.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 16.1% | 12.5% 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.
KS2: expected standard in reading, writing and maths
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.
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School
St James' CofE Academy
Full profiles: St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School · St James' CofE Academy