Houstone School
- Secondary
- Free schools
- Ages 11 to 16
URN 149107 · Central Bedfordshire · ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
Inspection
Ofsted management information, as at 30 September 2026.
Latest full inspection
20 May 2025- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding is effective
- Yes
Full inspection (section 5)
From September 2024 until report cards began, full inspections gave key judgements but no overall grade.
Read the reports on Ofsted’s website. Source: Ofsted, State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information.
Attendance
Against Central Bedfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Overall absence
2024/257.4%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 7.4%
- England
- 8.4%
1.0 percentage point lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 5.1% | 5.5% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 5.0% | 5.5% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 4.6% | 5.5% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 8.1% | 9.0% |
| 2022/23 | 11.7% | 7.8% | 9.0% |
| 2023/24 | 10.5% | 7.8% | 8.9% |
| 2024/25 | 7.4% | 7.4% | 8.4% |
Sessions missed for any reason, as a share of all possible sessions in the school year. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Persistent absence
2024/2523.0%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 20.0%
- England
- 23.4%
0.4 percentage points lower than England.
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| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 11.4% | 13.9% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 11.1% | 13.7% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 11.3% | 14.8% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 23.6% | 27.7% |
| 2022/23 | 35.8% | 22.1% | 26.5% |
| 2023/24 | 32.1% | 22.1% | 25.6% |
| 2024/25 | 23.0% | 20.0% | 23.4% |
Pupils who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Severe absence
2024/253.1%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 2.8%
- England
- 3.9%
0.8 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 2.1% | 2.7% |
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 2.5% | 3.4% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 2.8% | 3.8% |
| 2024/25 | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.9% |
Pupils who missed 50% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Suspensions and permanent exclusions
Against Central Bedfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2024/2541.25
- Central Bedfordshire
- 15.62
- England
- 21.24
20.01 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 6.43 | 10.13 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 7.12 | 10.75 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 5.50 | 7.43 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 6.14 | 8.48 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 8.67 | 13.96 |
| 2022/23 | 95.44 | 13.24 | 18.90 |
| 2023/24 | 101.93 | 15.79 | 22.61 |
| 2024/25 | 41.25 | 15.62 | 21.24 |
Suspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. One pupil can be suspended more than once. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
2024/250.61
- Central Bedfordshire
- 0.26
- England
- 0.23
0.38 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 0.24 | 0.20 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 0.18 | 0.20 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 0.14 | 0.13 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 0.07 | 0.10 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 0.15 | 0.16 |
| 2022/23 | 1.40 | 0.27 | 0.22 |
| 2023/24 | 0.77 | 0.29 | 0.25 |
| 2024/25 | 0.61 | 0.26 | 0.23 |
Permanent exclusions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Key stage 4 results
Against Central Bedfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Attainment 8
2025/26 (provisional)48.7
- Central Bedfordshire
- 44.3
- England
- 47.4
1.3 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 47.6 | 49.8 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 45.3 | 47.2 |
| 2023/24 | 32.7 | 43.3 | 46.9 |
| 2024/25 | 46.1 | 44.8 | 47.1 |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 48.7 | 44.3 | 47.4 |
The average of pupils' points across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 4 or above
2025/26 (provisional)76%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 63%
- England
- 66%
10 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 70% | 70% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 66% | 67% |
| 2023/24 | 44% | 64% | 67% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 67% | 66% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 76% | 63% | 66% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 5 or above
2025/26 (provisional)57%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 42%
- England
- 48%
9 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 46% | 51% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 44% | 46% |
| 2023/24 | 27% | 41% | 47% |
| 2024/25 | 56% | 43% | 47% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 57% | 42% | 48% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
Pupils
Against Central Bedfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Eligible for free school meals
2024/2527.5%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 15.2%
- England
- 25.8%
1.7 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 12.3% | 20.9% |
| 2022/23 | 27.7% | 13.4% | 22.7% |
| 2023/24 | 25.7% | 14.3% | 24.1% |
| 2024/25 | 27.5% | 15.2% | 25.8% |
Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals on census day in January. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
SEN support
2024/2512.2%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 11.8%
- England
- 13.4%
1.2 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 12.0% | 11.9% |
| 2022/23 | 10.9% | 12.4% | 12.4% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 11.9% | 12.9% |
| 2024/25 | 12.2% | 11.8% | 13.4% |
Pupils receiving special educational needs support without an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Education, health and care plan
2024/253.7%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 4.6%
- England
- 3.1%
0.6 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| 2022/23 | 3.9% | 3.3% | 2.4% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 3.9% | 2.7% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 4.6% | 3.1% |
Pupils with an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
First language other than English
2024/2534.2%
- Central Bedfordshire
- 7.9%
- England
- 19.2%
15.0 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 5.3% | 17.5% |
| 2022/23 | 33.7% | 6.2% | 18.1% |
| 2023/24 | 34.2% | 7.2% | 18.6% |
| 2024/25 | 34.2% | 7.9% | 19.2% |
Pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Teachers
Against Central Bedfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Pupils per qualified teacher
2025/2617.5
- Central Bedfordshire
- 18.9
- England
- 17.3
0.2 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 18.4 | 16.5 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 18.7 | 16.8 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 19.2 | 17.2 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 19.1 | 17.1 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 19.0 | 17.1 |
| 2022/23 | 17.0 | 18.7 | 17.2 |
| 2023/24 | 16.6 | 18.4 | 17.4 |
| 2024/25 | 16.9 | 19.6 | 17.3 |
| 2025/26 | 17.5 | 18.9 | 17.3 |
Full-time equivalent pupils for each full-time equivalent qualified teacher. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2025/26.
Teacher sickness absence
2024/254.5 days
- Central Bedfordshire
- 5.1 days
- England
- 5.0 days
0.5 days lower than England.
Compared with all state-funded schools: DfE publishes this measure for all schools, not by phase.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Central Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 4.3 days | 4.0 days |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 4.7 days | 4.0 days |
| 2019/20 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 4.1 days | 3.9 days |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 7.2 days | 6.3 days |
| 2022/23 | 6.7 days | 5.7 days | 5.2 days |
| 2023/24 | 5.4 days | 5.8 days | 5.3 days |
| 2024/25 | 4.5 days | 5.1 days | 5.0 days |
Days lost to sickness absence in the school year, averaged across all teachers. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2024/25.
Finance
Academies report their accounts as part of their trust, so DfE publishes no school-level balance for this school. The trust’s figures are in DfE’s Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.
See this school in the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool
About the school
- Pupils on roll
- 765
- Capacity
- 900
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
- Opened
- 1 September 2022
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Constituency
- Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Deprivation of the area (IDACI)
- Decile 6 of 10 (1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods)
Address: Parkside Drive, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5PX
Website: www.houstoneschool.co.uk/
Telephone: 01582377771
Sources and corrections
Every figure on this page names its source and period. This release was built on 20 October 2026.
- Department for Education: Get Information about Schools: establishment data (GIAS establishment extract 2026-10-20)
- Ofsted: State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information (Latest inspections as at 2026-09-30; All inspections, 2018/19; All inspections, 2019/20; All inspections, 2020/21; All inspections, 2021/22; All inspections, 2022/23; All inspections, 2023/24; All inspections, 2024/25; All inspections, 2025/26)
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Pupil absence in schools in England (absence-3term-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England (exc-school, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-geography, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-geography, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 2 attainment (ks2-school, 2022/23 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; ks2-geography, 2015/16 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 4 performance (ks4-school, 2023/24 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ks4-geography, 2018/19 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Schools, pupils and their characteristics (School census, January 2022 (performance tables, 2021 to 2022); School census, January 2023 (performance tables, 2022 to 2023); School census, January 2024 (performance tables, 2023 to 2024); School census, January 2025 (performance tables, 2024 to 2025))
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: School workforce in England (ptr-school, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ptr-geography, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; sickness-school, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; sickness-geography, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English indices of deprivation 2025: Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (English indices of deprivation 2025, File 7 (2021 LSOAs))
Spotted something wrong? Report a correction with the school’s URN (149107). Fixes go out in the next weekly release.