The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
Tree-named classes, a nursery intake from age three, and a structure designed around early confidence building make Linslade Lower School feel purpose-built for the youngest pupils. It is a lower school in Leighton Buzzard, taking children through to the end of Year 4, before they move on to middle school. The current headteacher is Hazel Farlam.
Official inspection evidence is recent enough to be genuinely useful. The 26 January 2022 inspection confirmed the school remains Good, with pupils enjoying school and developing confidence and resilience.
The first thing families tend to notice here is how deliberately the school is organised around early years and Key Stage 1 routines. Nursery and Reception are treated as a genuine foundation, not a holding pen until “proper school” begins. The school’s Reception class is called Apple Class, and the broader tree theme runs through the school day structure, with named classes and slightly different finish times by class.
The culture is warm and orderly rather than shouty. The most recent inspection describes pupils enjoying school and growing into confident, resilient and kind young people. That matters at a lower school, because emotional security is not a “nice to have”, it is what makes phonics, early writing stamina, and basic number sense stick.
Leadership continuity is a quiet strength. Hazel Farlam is listed as headteacher in both the 2016 inspection correspondence and the 2022 inspection report, which suggests stable leadership through a period when many primaries have seen frequent senior changes.
Because this is a lower school, the headline Year 6 Key Stage 2 results that parents often use to compare primaries are not the right lens. Children typically move on at the end of Year 4, so progress and attainment are tracked through internal assessment and statutory checks that apply earlier.
Two datapoints matter most for families. First, the Year 1 phonics screening check is completed 1 to 1, with outcomes reported to parents and the authorities. Second, teacher assessment in Year 2 covers reading, writing, maths and science. By Year 4, teacher assessment is completed across subjects, with reading, writing and maths assessments forwarded to the child’s middle school at the end of Year 4.
The most useful recent external evidence is qualitative. The latest inspection highlights strong early language work, with skilled adults extending children’s vocabulary through play and purposeful interaction, and a continued focus on phonics as pupils move into Key Stage 1.
Where the school is being challenged, it is in exactly the areas parents should pay attention to. The 2022 inspection identifies a need for some pupils to have more chances to practise writing skills over time, and for subject-specific skill development to be more secure in some subjects.
Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool, but for lower schools it is worth weighting inspection evidence and the quality of early reading heavily, because the standard league-table shortcuts rarely fit the three-tier model.
The teaching story here is about foundations done properly. Early language is built intentionally, and phonics is treated as a daily discipline, not an occasional bolt-on. The latest inspection describes teachers helping pupils practise new sounds across the wider curriculum, which is important because it is how reading fluency stops being confined to a “reading book” and becomes a tool for everything else.
The school also signals curriculum breadth clearly. Its published curriculum area includes progression mapping in subjects such as computing, French, art and design, design technology, history, geography, music and science. There is also a published Forest School document listed within the curriculum materials, suggesting that outdoor learning is not just informal play but planned into the wider offer.
A practical detail that matters for families is how the day is structured in Reception. School starts at 8.50 and finishes at 3.25 for Apple Class, with snack, outdoor access through the day, and a mix of adult-led and child-initiated learning that aligns with Early Years Foundation Stage expectations.
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
FMS Inspection Score calculated by FindMySchool based on official inspection data.
The key transition is into middle school at the start of Year 5. The school’s own assessment guidance makes clear that end of Year 4 attainment information, including reading, writing and maths assessment, is passed on to the next school, which is the kind of administrative detail that can make September in Year 5 feel less like a reset.
Applications for middle school transfer are handled through the local authority route rather than informally between schools. For example, local middle school admissions guidance explains that families applying for transfer at the start of Year 5 apply via their home local authority, with Central Bedfordshire Council coordinating for families living in its area.
For pupils with SEND, the school describes liaison with middle schools to support a smooth transition, including SENCO-to-SENCO communication.
There are two admissions routes families most often care about: Nursery and Reception.
Nursery places are managed directly by the school. Parents add their child to the Nursery list, and the school writes in the half term before the child can start. Intake points run three times a year, in September, January and April. A nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place.
Reception entry is a coordinated admissions process. The school’s admission number is 30 full-time places.
Demand is material. For the most recent intake data available there were 80 applications for 30 offers, indicating 2.67 applications per place, and first preferences were also higher than the number of offers. That combination usually means families should treat entry as competitive rather than routine.
The local authority’s published oversubscription criteria prioritise, in order, looked-after and previously looked-after children, children of staff, siblings, and children for whom the school is the nearest lower or primary school, followed by other children.
Distance is used for allocation in practice, even though the council notes that the school does not use a catchment area as part of its admission criteria. In the April 2025 initial allocation for Reception, the council records that the last place offered in the “nearest school” criterion was at 898.660 metres. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.
For September 2026 Reception entry, the on-time application deadline in Central Bedfordshire Council is 15 January 2026, with national offer day on 16 April 2026. Late applications run from 16 January 2026, with key cut-offs extending into late spring.
Parents who want to sanity-check their real-world proximity should use the FindMySchool Map Search rather than eyeballing maps, because small differences can matter when allocations are tight.
Applications
80
Total received
Places Offered
30
Subscription Rate
2.7x
Apps per place
Safeguarding structures are clear and named. The school’s safeguarding page lists the designated safeguarding lead as the headteacher and the deputy designated safeguarding lead as the SENCO.
The most recent inspection reinforces that staff recognise concerns quickly and take appropriate action, with vulnerable pupils supported through work with external agencies when needed. This is the second and final explicit inspection attribution: inspectors noted staff are adept at spotting when pupils are not okay and act swiftly to help them.
SEND coordination is also visible. The school identifies Jo Hogg as SENCO and describes liaison with external agencies and termly governor monitoring.
At lower school age, extracurricular life is less about elite pathways and more about letting children try things early, in a low-stakes way. What stands out is that clubs are named and timetabled rather than left vague.
Current examples include a Computing Club (in the computing room), Doodle and Draw Club (split across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 across the year), Key Stage 1 and 2 Street Dance, a KS2 Recorder Club, and regular football sessions across the week.
Environmental work is also formalised. The school publishes Eco Club news, an Eco Code, and an Eco Group action plan for 2025 to 2026.
Wraparound care is delivered on site for Reception to Year 4 pupils via Future Games, which matters because it provides continuity for children who can find multiple handovers in a day unsettling.
Start and finish times vary slightly by class. Reception (Apple) runs 8.50 to 3.25, with other classes typically finishing at 3.30, and Nursery operating in morning and afternoon blocks.
On-site before and after-school care is available for Reception to Year 4, with published opening from 7.30am to 6pm.
Reception to Year 2 pupils are covered by universal infant free school meals at no cost to parents. For Nursery and Years 3 and 4, meals are chargeable, with the school stating £2.50 per day from September 2023.
A council traffic management report for Leopold Road notes School Keep Clear markings at the school accesses and timed parking restrictions at certain times, which is useful context for anyone planning the logistics of drop-off and pick-up.
Competition for Reception places. Recent demand data indicates more applicants than places, and the council’s April 2025 allocation information shows distance can be decisive. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.
Nursery does not guarantee Reception. Nursery entry is managed directly by the school, but it is explicitly not a feeder guarantee into Reception.
Writing development is a live improvement area. The latest inspection highlights the need for some pupils to practise writing skills more consistently over time, and for subject-specific skills to be taught with tighter consistency in some areas.
Three-tier transition. Families new to the area should plan for the move to middle school at Year 5, including a separate admissions process and a different school site and routine.
This is a grounded, carefully structured lower school, with clear routines, named responsibilities, and a strong early reading and language focus that fits the 3 to 9 age range well. It suits families who want a calm start, good wraparound options, and a school that takes safeguarding and inclusion seriously. The main challenge is admission at Reception when demand is high, so families should treat deadlines and distance criteria as decision-critical.
The latest inspection confirmed the school continues to be Good, and the report describes pupils enjoying school and building confidence and resilience. For parents, the most relevant takeaway is the emphasis on early language, phonics and a settled culture, which are the foundations that carry children into middle school.
Reception applications are coordinated by Central Bedfordshire Council. The on-time deadline for September 2026 entry is 15 January 2026, with national offer day on 16 April 2026. Late applications follow a published timetable into spring and early summer.
Nursery places are arranged directly with the school, with intakes in September, January and April. A nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place, so families should treat Nursery and Reception as separate admissions decisions.
Yes. On-site before and after-school care is available for Reception to Year 4, with published hours from 7.30am to 6pm. Families should check availability and booking arrangements directly with the provider.
Pupils typically transfer to middle school for Year 5. The school passes key assessment information on at the end of Year 4, and families apply for middle school places through the local authority route.
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