Chalton Lower School
Community school in Luton, LU4 9UJ, taking ages 4 to 9, 65 on roll.
Homes you looked at
Each measured from its postcode's centre against the 1.8 miles Central Bedfordshire published for 2026/27, as the checker measures.
Opened on this device and kept on it only: just their postcodes are sent, to this site, to measure them.
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Will an address get in?
In 2026/27, the furthest child offered a place lived 1.8 miles away.
Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close 15 January 2027; offers on 16 April 2027.
How this compares: every Central Bedfordshire school's distance, tightest first →
The circle is 1.8 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2026/27.
How to read this
Most English schools do not have a catchment area. When Chalton Lower School is oversubscribed, places go outward from the school until they run out, so the distance moves each year with how many families applied and where they lived.
Distances are measured from the postcode's centre, not a front door; a postcode covers a few houses. Siblings, looked-after children come before distance, so a school can fill before distance counts at all.
Real admission areas are not circular: the circle is the distance, not a boundary. The labels on the map are postcode districts whose centre falls inside it; each opens the district's guide.
The address on the closing date is the one the council uses. How admissions work.
One published year so far: 2026/27, from Central Bedfordshire. With two or more, the map can draw any of them.
Source: Central Bedfordshire, published admission distances, 2026/27
Two schools, both in reach
Two children, or a first and second preference? Add a second school to see where both are in reach, cheapest districts first. Only a school with a published distance can be added.
If the answer is no, you can appeal. In Central Bedfordshire, 37 of 121 secondary appeals succeeded in 2025 (30.6%; England 19.9%), counted for all the council's schools together. How every council compares.
Other schools nearby with a published distance
The closest schools to Chalton Lower School that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.
| School | Phase | Admitted from | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornhill Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 1.13 mi 2026/27 | 0.8 mi |
| St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.82 mi 2026/27 | 1.4 mi |
| Houghton Regis Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 1.06 mi 2026/27 | 1.9 mi |
| Harlington Lower School Both in reach | Primary | 4.33 mi 2026/27 | 2.8 mi |
| Priory Academy Both in reach | Secondary | 0.26 mi 2026/27 | 3.0 mi |
| Beecroft Academy Both in reach | Primary | 3.21 mi 2026/27 | 3.1 mi |
The distance as a picture
What kind of school this is
| Religious character | No religious character |
| Sixth form | Does not have a sixth form |
| How full | 65 pupils in 75 places (87% full) |
| Local authority | Central Bedfordshire |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Ofsted | Good, inspected 18 June 2023. Ungraded inspection, June 2023: school remains Good |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to Chalton Lower School
| Girls and boys | 49.2% girls, 50.8% boys |
| English as an additional language | 20.0% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 9.2% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
What it costs to live within reach of Chalton Lower School
Cheapest district inside the 1.8 miles: LU5, median £300,000.
| District | Area | From the school | Median sold price |
|---|---|---|---|
| LU5 | Central Bedfordshire | 1.2 mi | £300,000 146 sales |
How to read this
The postcode districts whose centre falls inside the 1.8 miles the school admitted from in 2026/27, cheapest first, by the median of real sales around each district's centre. A district is wide, so check the address itself, not the list. Districts without enough recorded sales to rank are not shown.
How this compares across England: what a tight gate costs, school by school.
Source: HM Land Registry sold prices, via each district's area guide
Getting to Chalton Lower School by bus
Best-served stop: The Lane, 91 yd away, with 0.8 buses an hour on weekday daytimes; first bus 07:15, last 19:05.
Every stop within 600 m
| Stop | From the school | Weekday daytime, an hour | Evening | Sunday | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lane | 91 yd | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | E |
| The Lane | 125 yd | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | E |
| The Star | 151 yd | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | E |
These are scheduled departures, not buses observed running. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two rows.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport), week of 8 Sep 2026
The fee-paying alternative
Weighing Chalton Lower School against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around LU4: ages, selection, and how full each one is → What it costs to live at LU4 9UJ, by the school: council tax, energy, prices, rent, stamp duty →
Checking the house as well as the school
The full report checks one address against every nearby school, with sold prices, flood risk and crime.
Common questions
What is the catchment area for Chalton Lower School?
Chalton 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 1.8 miles away, per Central Bedfordshire.
How close do I need to live to get a place at Chalton Lower School?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 1.8 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 Chalton 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 →
Put Chalton Lower School's figure on your own site
A small badge with the published distance that links back here, for a school website, parents' group or forum.
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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.