Lark Rise Academy
Academy converter in Dunstable, LU6 3PT, taking ages 3 to 11, 351 on roll.
Homes you looked at
Each measured from its postcode's centre against the 0.88 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 0.88 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 0.88 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2026/27.
How to read this
Most English schools do not have a catchment area. When Lark Rise Academy 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 Lark Rise Academy that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.
| School | Phase | Admitted from | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watling Lower School Both in reach | Primary | 0.6 mi 2026/27 | 0.5 mi |
| Priory Academy Both in reach | Secondary | 0.26 mi 2026/27 | 0.8 mi |
| Beecroft Academy Both in reach | Primary | 3.21 mi 2026/27 | 1.0 mi |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 2.22 mi 2026/27 | 1.3 mi |
| Houghton Regis Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 1.06 mi 2026/27 | 2.0 mi |
| St Vincent's Catholic Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.82 mi 2026/27 | 2.3 mi |
The distance as a picture
What kind of school this is
| Religious character | No religious character |
| How full | 351 pupils in 360 places (98% full) |
| Trust | CHILTERN LEARNING TRUST |
| Local authority | Central Bedfordshire |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Meeting the expected standard | 88.0% in reading, writing and maths (2024/25) |
| Year | Meeting the expected standard |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 88.0% |
| 2023/24 | 82.0% |
| 2022/23 | 73.0% |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to Lark Rise Academy
| Girls and boys | 49.6% girls, 50.4% boys |
| English as an additional language | 17.1% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 7.1% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
What it costs to live within reach of Lark Rise Academy
Cheapest district inside the 0.88 miles: LU6, median £355,000.
| District | Area | From the school | Median sold price |
|---|---|---|---|
| LU6 | Central Bedfordshire | 0.5 mi | £355,000 151 sales |
How to read this
The postcode districts whose centre falls inside the 0.88 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 Lark Rise Academy by bus
Best-served stop: Meadway, 0.3 mi away, with 0.6 buses an hour on weekday daytimes; first bus 08:15, last 14:14.
Every stop within 600 m
| Stop | From the school | Weekday daytime, an hour | Evening | Sunday | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensbury Academy | 0.2 mi | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34 |
| Queensbury Academy | 0.3 mi | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34 |
| Langdale Road Shops | 0.3 mi | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34 |
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 Lark Rise Academy against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around LU6: ages, selection, and how full each one is → What it costs to live at LU6 3PT, 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 Lark Rise Academy?
Lark Rise Academy 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 0.88 miles away, per Central Bedfordshire.
How close do I need to live to get a place at Lark Rise Academy?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 0.88 miles was enough in 2026/27, and at 98% full the school has little slack. 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 Lark Rise Academy 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 Lark Rise Academy's figure on your own site
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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.