Thomas Johnson Lower School
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Community school in Bedford, MK43 0SB, taking ages 3 to 9, 92 on roll.
Will an address get in?
In the 2026/27 round, the furthest-away child offered a place at Thomas Johnson Lower School lived 2.4647805932866893 miles away, according to Central Bedfordshire. Put a postcode in and it is measured against that distance.
Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close on 15 January 2027, with offers on 16 April 2027. The address on the deadline is the one the council uses. How it works.
The circle is 2.4647805932866893 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2026/27. Real admission areas are not circular: this is the distance, not a boundary.
What kind of school this is
| Religious character | No religious character |
| Sixth form | Does not have a sixth form |
| How full | 92 pupils in 110 places (84% full) |
| Local authority | Central Bedfordshire |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Ofsted | Good, inspected 16 January 2023 |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to Thomas Johnson Lower School
| Girls and boys | 41.3% girls, 58.7% boys |
| English as an additional language | 1.1% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 8.7% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
The fee-paying alternative
Weighing Thomas Johnson Lower School against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around MK43: ages, selection, and how full each one is →
Checking the house as well as the school
The full report measures the distance from every nearby school to one address, alongside sold prices, flood risk, crime and the other checks on the same house.
Common questions
What is the catchment area for Thomas Johnson Lower School?
Thomas Johnson Lower School does not have one in the sense most people mean. Like most English schools, an oversubscribed year offers places outward from the school until they run out. The nearest thing to an answer: the furthest child admitted in 2026/27 lived 2.4647805932866893 miles away, per Central Bedfordshire.
How close do I need to live to get a place at Thomas Johnson Lower School?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 2.4647805932866893 miles was enough in 2026/27. The distance moves every year with the number of applications, so treat last year's figure as evidence, not a promise.
Does buying a house near Thomas Johnson Lower School guarantee a place?
No. Admission criteria usually put looked-after children, siblings ahead of distance, so places can be filled before distance is reached. Councils also check that the address is genuinely where the child lives.
Every Central Bedfordshire school's distance
All Central Bedfordshire schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →
Admission distance published by Central Bedfordshire. School details from the Department for Education's register, ratings from Ofsted. Read how every figure on this site is sourced on the methodology page. If something here looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.