Bedford Free School
Free schools in Bedford, MK42 9AD, taking ages 11 to 16, 536 on roll.
Homes you looked at
Each measured from its postcode's centre against the 0.6 miles Bedford 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 0.6 miles away.
Applying for September 2027? Secondary applications close 31 October 2026; offers on 1 March 2027.
How this compares: every Bedford school's distance, tightest first →
The circle is 0.6 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2026/27.
Bedford Free School: 0.6 miles, 2026/27 Shackleton Primary School: 0.88 miles, 2026/27, published by Bedford
How to read this
Most English schools do not have a catchment area. When Bedford Free 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 both circles; 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 Bedford. With two or more, the map can draw any of them.
Source: Bedford, published admission distances, 2026/27
Where Bedford Free School and Shackleton Primary School are both in reach
Both distances are drawn on the map above. Shackleton Primary School admitted from 0.88 miles in 2026/27, published by Bedford. Its own page has the rest of its figures.
No postcode district has its centre inside both distances. The two schools admit from 0.6 and 0.88 miles, and the ground those circles share holds no district centre, which is a fact about where the centres fall rather than about any one address. The map above shows both, and the postcode checker answers for both.
Sign up to save both schools and be told when either council republishes the distance these answers rest on.
Drop Shackleton Primary School and go back to one school.
If the answer is no, you can appeal. In Bedford, 32 of 133 secondary appeals succeeded in 2025 (24.1%; 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 Bedford Free School that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.
| School | Phase | Admitted from | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priory Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.22 mi 2026/27 | 0.5 mi |
| Shackleton Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.88 mi 2026/27 | 0.6 mi |
| Castle Newnham School Both in reach | Primary | 2.72 mi 2026/27 | 0.7 mi |
| Livingstone Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 0.32 mi 2026/27 | 0.9 mi |
| Bedford Academy Both in reach | Secondary | 2.35 mi 2026/27 | 1.1 mi |
| Goldington Academy Both in reach | Secondary | 0.75 mi 2026/27 | 1.3 mi |
The distance as a picture
What kind of school this is
| Admissions | Non-selective |
| Religious character | No religious character |
| Sixth form | Does not have a sixth form |
| How full | 536 pupils in 500 places (107% full, over capacity) |
| Trust | ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS |
| Local authority | Bedford |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Ofsted | Outstanding, inspected 08 June 2025. Ungraded inspection, June 2025: standards maintained |
| Attainment 8 | 46.5 (2024/25) |
| Year | Progress 8 |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | not published |
| 2023/24 | +1.11 |
| 2022/23 | +0.99 |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to Bedford Free School
| Girls and boys | 48.5% girls, 51.5% boys |
| English as an additional language | 66.4% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 29.5% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
Where Bedford Free School's Year 11 went next
| Stayed for the sixth form | 38.9% |
| Sixth-form college | 0.0% |
| Further education college | 47.4% |
| Apprenticeship | 1.1% |
| Employment | 3.2% |
| No sustained destination recorded | 5.3% |
DfE destination measures, 2022/23. Broad categories only: the DfE does not publish which named schools or colleges pupils moved to.
What it costs to live within reach of Bedford Free School
Cheapest district inside the 0.6 miles: MK40, median £176,000.
| District | Area | From the school | Median sold price |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK40 | Bedford | 0.6 mi | £176,000 109 sales |
How to read this
The postcode districts whose centre falls inside the 0.6 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 Bedford Free School by bus
Best-served stop: Bedford College, 37 yd away, with 12.3 buses an hour on weekday daytimes; first bus 05:47, last 01:02 after midnight.
Every stop within 600 m
| Stop | From the school | Weekday daytime, an hour | Evening | Sunday | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford College | 37 yd | 12.3 | 7.2 | 4.3 | 1, 3, 2W, C10, MK1, C1 |
| St John's Street | 131 yd | 4.4 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 3, MK1, 9A, 9B, 20, 27 |
| Kingsway Link | 0.1 mi | 7.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1, 2W, C1, C10, C2 |
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 Bedford Free School against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around MK42: ages, selection, and how full each one is → What it costs to live at MK42 9AD, 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 Bedford Free School?
Bedford Free 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 0.6 miles away, per Bedford.
How close do I need to live to get a place at Bedford Free School?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 0.6 miles was enough in 2026/27, and at 107% 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 Bedford Free 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 Bedford school's distance
All Bedford schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →
Put Bedford Free School's figure on your own site
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Admission distance published by Bedford. 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.