Bedford Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,480 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Academy converter
Mark Rutherford School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,150of 1,243 places
- Free school meals
- 30.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 220
- Ofsted
- Report card, 11 November 2025Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Needs attentionSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Mark Rutherford School (URN 109674, until 1 January 2013).
What the data says
Of the 197 pupils who finished Year 11 at Mark Rutherford School in 2023, 35% stayed on in Mark Rutherford School’s own sixth form (Bedford average 39%), 49% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 87 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 61% went to university (Bedford 24%, England 37%), and 18% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.5 against 46.1 across England and 44.4 in Bedford, with 40% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Computer Science is unusually popular at GCSE: 23% of the year group took it, against 13% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Bedford and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Mark Rutherford School | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 197 | 2,196 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 86% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 35% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 49% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Mark Rutherford School | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 87 | 4,022 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 77% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 61% | 24% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 18% | 9% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 23% | 38% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 17% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Mark Rutherford School | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.5 | 44.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 15% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.52 | 3.89 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 23% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.8 | 34.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 44.0 | 47.3 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 16% | 26% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 212 | 96% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 71% |
| English Language | 211 | 96% | 89% | 11% | 20% | 64% |
| English Literature | 209 | 95% | 86% | 8% | 21% | 67% |
| Combined Science | 126 | 57% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 37% |
| History | 120 | 55% | 41% | 21% | 26% | 64% |
| Biology | 86 | 39% | 23% | 17% | 45% | 86% |
| Physics | 86 | 39% | 23% | 23% | 46% | 84% |
| Chemistry | 86 | 39% | 23% | 19% | 47% | 79% |
| Geography | 82 | 37% | 41% | 17% | 25% | 60% |
| Computer Science | 51 | 23% | 13% | 14% | 30% | 49% |
| Fine Art | 42 | 19% | 9% | 26% | 28% | 79% |
| Design and Technology | 35 | 16% | 11% | 9% | 23% | 66% |
| Physical Education | 26 | 12% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 50% |
| Business Studies | 24 | 11% | 18% | 8% | 20% | 58% |
| Drama | 20 | 9% | 7% | 15% | 27% | 60% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 20 | 9% | 8% | 10% | 21% | 65% |
| Dance | 19 | 9% | 1% | 32% | 27% | 74% |
| Religious Studies | 16 | 7% | 31% | 25% | 32% | 81% |
| Spanish | 15 | 7% | 19% | 40% | 27% | 80% |
| Italian | 9 | 4% | 0% | 0% | 53% | 22% |
| French | 8 | 4% | 18% | 13% | 29% | 50% |
| Polish | 7 | 3% | 1% | 86% | 84% | 100% |
| Astronomy | 6 | 3% | 0% | 17% | 29% | 83% |
| Music | 5 | 2% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 44 | 56% | — |
| Health Studies | 35 | 45% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 23 | 29% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | 26% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Mark Rutherford School | Bedford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 130 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 78 | 1,110 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 28.29 | 30.14 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 11% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 23 | 29% | 4% |
| Mathematics | 21 | 27% | 31% |
| Psychology | 18 | 23% | 23% |
| Biology | 15 | 19% | 20% |
| Business Studies | 15 | 19% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 14 | 18% | 17% |
| History | 13 | 17% | 13% |
| Media Studies | 11 | 14% | 4% |
| Geography | 9 | 12% | 10% |
| Fine Art | 8 | 10% | 3% |
| Physics | 7 | 9% | 12% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Dance | — | — | 0% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 21 | 27% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 12% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Spanish | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Spanish | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Bedford
Bedford Free School
Free schools · 536 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.5
Biddenham International School and Sports College
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,422 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.1
Daubeney Academy
Academy converter · 576 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.5
Goldington Academy
Academy converter · 958 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.3
Kempston Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 773 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.