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Best Secondary schools in Bedfordshire

Top 20 by latest Ofsted graded judgements (showing top 10 – Go Pro for full list)
Quick compare: Top 3 secondary schools in Bedfordshire
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These rankings cover secondary schools in the county of Bedfordshire based on the most recent graded Ofsted inspections. We order by headline grade first, then by publication date; ties are broken using “Quality of education” (where available), then contextual signals.

Graded secondary schools
20
Outstanding
4
Good
16
Median inspection year
2022

Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)

O: 20% · G: 80% · RI: 0% · I: 0%

Summary

Outstanding: 4 Good: 16 Requires improvement: 0 Inadequate: 0
Earliest inspection
Dec 2017 (exact date for Pro)
Latest inspection
Sep 2024 (exact date for Pro)

These rankings use each school’s latest graded Ofsted inspection. Ungraded visits do not replace the most recent graded judgement.

  • 1.
    Denbigh High School
    Secondary • Academy converter • Luton • LU3 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Jan 2024 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 2.
    Challney High School for Boys
    Secondary • Academy converter • Luton • LU4 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Jan 2024 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 3.
    Bedford Free School
    Secondary • Free schools • Bedford • MK42 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Mar 2020 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 4.
    Challney High School for Girls
    Secondary • Academy converter • Luton • LU4 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Feb 2020 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 5.
    Redborne Upper School and Community College
    Secondary • Academy converter • Bedford • MK45 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Sep 2024 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 6.
    Icknield High School
    Secondary • Academy converter • Luton • LU3 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Mar 2024 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 7.
    Harlington Upper School
    Secondary • Academy converter • Dunstable • LU5 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Jan 2024 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 8.
    St Thomas More Catholic School
    Secondary • Academy converter • Bedford • MK41 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Nov 2023 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 9.
    Queen Elizabeth School
    Secondary • Foundation school • Luton • LU2 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Jul 2023 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 10.
    Cedars Upper School
    Secondary • Academy converter • Leighton Buzzard • LU7 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Jun 2023 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
Showing top 10 of 20. Go Pro to see the full list and unlock exact dates & full postcodes.
How we rank these schools
  1. Headline Ofsted grade orders: Outstanding (1), then Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
  2. More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
  3. Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
  4. We may consider contextual signals (e.g., %FSM, roll size) to break remaining ties.

Ungraded visits don’t replace the last graded judgement.

About Ofsted grades
  • Outstanding (1) — highest judgement across key areas.
  • Good (2) — consistently meets standards.
  • Requires improvement (3) — not yet good; clear areas to improve.
  • Inadequate (4) — significant weaknesses found.

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