Cotton End Forest School

Primary school

Cotton End Forest School is a primary school in Bedford, for pupils aged 2 to 11. It had 435 pupils at the school census in January 2026.

Ofsted

Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026

Graded inspection, May 2025: no overall grade

Inspection: Graded inspection, 20 May 2025
Overall effectiveness: No overall grade (from September 2024)
Quality of education: Good
Behaviour and attitudes: Good
Personal development: Good
Leadership and management: Good

Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks can’t be compared.

Results

Department for Education

In 2024/25, 77% of pupils at Cotton End Forest School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 57% in Bedford and 62% in England.

0% reached the higher standard (8% in England).

End of primary school (KS2)

2024/25

Measure	This school	Bedford	England
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths	77%	57%	62%
Reached the higher standard	0%	3%	8%
Average scaled score in reading	107	105	106
Average scaled score in maths	106	103	105

Progress scores from KS1 to KS2 were not published for 2024/25, because the KS1 tests that give the starting point were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
Results reflect the pupils a school admits as well as its teaching, and a year's results can move a lot in a small school.

Schools nearby

In a straight line

Shortstown Primary SchoolPrimary. Report card, February 2026: safeguarding met. 60% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)2 km

Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools, which Open Index doesn’t map. Every school in Bedford

Where these figures come from

Schools: the school lists of the Department for Education, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government, with Ofsted’s latest inspections for England.
Results: the Department for Education’s school performance tables (Open Government Licence).