1
Denbigh High School
Luton • Bedfordshire • LU3 1HE
1
25 Jan 2024
Top 10 Secondary schools in Bedfordshire
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2023)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the county of Bedfordshire. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
36
Outstanding
4
Good
19
Median inspection year
2023
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 13% · G: 61% · RI: 23% · I: 3%
2
Challney High School for Boys
Luton • Bedfordshire • LU4 9TJ
1
15 Jan 2024
3
Bedford Free School
Bedford • Bedfordshire • MK42 9AD
1
23 Mar 2020
4
Challney High School for Girls
Luton • Bedfordshire • LU4 9FJ
1
10 Feb 2020
5
Redborne Upper School and Community College
Bedford • Bedfordshire • MK45 2NU
2
10 Sep 2024
6
Icknield High School
Luton • Bedfordshire • LU3 2AH
2
19 Mar 2024
7
Harlington Upper School
Dunstable • Bedfordshire • LU5 6NX
2
14 Jan 2024
8
St Thomas More Catholic School
Bedford • Bedfordshire • MK41 7UL
2
8 Nov 2023
9
Queen Elizabeth School
Luton • Bedfordshire • LU2 9AG
2
25 Jul 2023
10
Cedars Upper School
Leighton Buzzard • Bedfordshire • LU7 2AE
2
14 Jun 2023
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Lealands High School 2 • Jun 2023
- Bedford Academy 2 • May 2023
- Stopsley High School 2 • Oct 2022
- Goldington Academy 2 • Mar 2022
- Manshead Church of England Academy 2 • Oct 2021
- Henlow Church of England Academy 2 • Oct 2019
- Putteridge High School 2 • Jul 2019
- Biddenham International School and Sports College 2 • Apr 2019
- Kempston Academy 2 • Oct 2018
- Samuel Whitbread Academy 2 • Dec 2017