Skip to main content
NSchool CompassSmarter school choices for parents and carers
  • Find Schools
  • School Compass Score
  • School Reports
  • Compare Schools
  • Local Authorities
  • Methodology
  • How It Works
  • Saved Schools
NSchool CompassSmarter school choices for parents and carers

The UK school decision platform — compare schools free, then buy one-off decision reports: Parent Report (£4.99), Admissions Advantage (£9.99), and Complete School Decision Report (£14.99).

School ReportsAdmissions Advantage — £9.99Complete Report — £14.99

Data sources

  • DfE — Get Information about Schools (GIAS)
  • Ofsted inspection reports
  • DfE admissions and appeals data
  • DfE performance and outcomes
  • Local admissions authorities

Last refresh: 14 June 2026

View data status · Methodology

Information

  • How It Works
  • Methodology
  • School Reports
  • School Compass Score
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Data Status

School Compass is independent and not affiliated with the DfE or Ofsted. Always verify admissions details with official sources.

  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Schools
  4. /
  5. The Firs Lower School
Back to schools

The Firs Lower School

URN
137756
Phase
Primary
Status
Open

School overview

School name
The Firs Lower School
URN
137756
Phase
Primary
Gender
Mixed
Age range
2-9
Status
Open

School Compass Score

Good

64 / 100

Good

Academic Outcomes

—

Inspection

55

Admissions Value

—

Destinations

—

Stability & Context

85

School Compass rankings

Below top 50% of primary schools in England

Below top 50% nationally

#63 of 78 schools in Central Bedfordshire

Based on School Compass rankings calculated from performance, inspection, admissions and destination data.

School Compass recommendation

Proceed With Caution

Some performance indicators suggest families should review details carefully.

Get the full School Compass Parent Report →

Based on School Compass analysis of official performance, inspection, admissions and destination data.

Admissions strategy

  • Application category: Not recommended
  • Admissions pressure: High competition
  • Admissions risk: High risk

Add a genuine safety school to your list

Get the full Parent Report

Available in the full Parent Report:

  • Recommended application mix
  • Alternative schools
  • Admissions warnings

View Parent Report options →

Crime & Safety

  • Safety score: Very Safe
  • National comparison: Lower crime than average
  • Crime trend: Stable trend
  • Confidence: High confidence

Higher share of violent and serious offences than typical

View full Crime & Safety analysis in Parent Report

Available in the full Parent Report:

  • Crime categories in the surrounding area
  • Local authority and nearby-school comparisons
  • Safety trends over the past year
  • Area context and confidence notes

View full Crime & Safety analysis in Parent Report →

Area crime data reflects the surrounding neighbourhood — it is not a measure of school safeguarding or on-site safety.

  • Area crime data reflects the surrounding neighbourhood — it is not a measure of school safeguarding or on-site safety.
  • This section reflects police-recorded crime in the surrounding area, not incidents on school premises.
  • Figures are anonymised by the police and aggregated within approximately one mile of the school site.

Question 1: Is it a good school?

School Compass Parent Report

Your decision briefing for The Firs Lower School

A plain-English verdict on school quality, plus application strategy, rankings, similar schools, and neighbourhood crime context — one PDF for £4.99. No subscription.

Preview sample report →

£4.99 — one-time purchase

Secure payment by Stripe · PDF generated immediately · What's included?

Question 2

Can we realistically get in?

  • Data confidence: Moderate confidence
  • Admissions pressure: Competitive
  • Personalised application strategy available
  • 8 alternative schools identified

What Admissions Advantage can and cannot tell you

Can tell you

  • Competitiveness on published admissions data
  • Demand trends over recent admission cycles
  • Application portfolio balance across your shortlist
  • Accessible alternative schools in your area

Cannot tell you

  • Last admitted distance
  • Catchment boundaries
  • Postcode-specific likelihood
  • Offer probability
  • Waiting list position
  • Priority rules
  • Grammar / selective cut-offs

Get Admissions Advantage — £9.99

Full confidence factors, trend analysis, portfolio coaching, school names, and rationales are in the paid report only.

View Admissions Advantage options →

Can we realistically get in?

School Compass Admissions Advantage

Admissions strategy for The Firs Lower School

A nine-page admissions briefing: competitiveness, pressure trends, portfolio balance, alternatives, and a plain-English action plan — advice-first, not a prediction of offer outcomes.

£9.99 — Admissions Advantage

One school, one admissions briefing. Buy Parent Report and Admissions Advantage separately if you want both decision reports.

Secure payment by Stripe · PDF generated immediately after payment

Complete Report unavailable

Complete Report not available — admissions data gap

National admissions statistics are insufficient for a honest Complete Report on this school.

Ofsted inspections

Ungraded inspection
Latest publication date
3 May 2023
Inspection date
9 March 2023
Inspection type
-
Category of concern
None recorded
SafeguardingNot available

Inspection outcomes

  • Outcome

    School remains Good

    Graded 3 May 2023

View official Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)

Inspection history

Showing the last 1 inspection on record, including monitoring visits.

Admissions

High pressure

Official Department for Education applications and offers data for Reception in academic year 2025/26.

Academic year

Academic year

2025/26

Published admission number (PAN)

Published admission number (PAN)

60

Places offered by the school

Applications received

Applications received

132

Times listed as any preference

Offers made

Offers made

60

Preferred offers from this school

Oversubscription ratio

Oversubscription ratio

2.2×

Applications per place

Offer rate

Where to apply

Use these official links to submit your application. Deadlines and portals are set by your local authority — always confirm the latest dates before you apply.

Local authority
Central Bedfordshire
Admissions portal
GOV.UK — apply for a primary school place (Central Bedfordshire)
Application deadline
15 January 2027 (on-time deadline for primary entry, September 2027)
School website
http://www.firslower.co.uk

If the portal link opens GOV.UK, select Central Bedfordshire to reach your council's application system.

Performance & outcomes

Performance information is not currently available for this school.

Location

MK45 2QR - Station Road, Ampthill, Bedford, Bedfordshire

Contact details

Address
Station Road, Ampthill, Bedford, Bedfordshire
Postcode
MK45 2QR
Phone
1525402735
Website
http://www.firslower.co.uk
Visit websiteOpen in Google Maps

Administrative details

Local authority name
Central Bedfordshire
Local authority code
823

School insights

Local authority context

This school is one of 240 schools in Central Bedfordshire.

Authority statistics

Total schools

240

Open schools

135

Closed schools

105

Primary schools

148

Data quality

Last updated
14 June 2026
Last imported
14 June 2026

Dates reflect the latest GIAS import and any recorded closure date for this school.

The School Compass Score combines academic outcomes, inspection findings, admissions value, destinations, and school stability to help parents compare schools consistently.

  • Not all crime is reported to the police. Small areas can vary significantly year to year.
  • Source: data.police.uk under the Open Government Licence; population from ONS.
  • PublishedInspectedTypeSummaryReport
    3 May 20239 March 2023-School remains GoodView report for inspection published 3 May 2023
    • School remains Good

      Published
      3 May 2023
      Inspected
      9 March 2023
      Type
      -
      Report
      View report

    Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Ofsted management information via GOV.UK.

    Offer rate

    45.5%

    Offers as a share of applications

    First preference offers: 51

    Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Department for Education school applications and offers statistics.

    Secondary schools

    26

    Special schools

    0

    Phase distribution

    • Primary148 (62.7%)
    • Secondary26 (11.0%)
    • Special0 (0.0%)
    • Other62 (26.3%)

    Nearby schools

    School nameDistancePhaseStatus
    The Firs Lower School0 mPrimaryClosed
    Alameda Middle School220 mMiddle deemed secondaryClosed
    Alameda Middle School220 mMiddle deemed secondaryOpen
    Russell Lower School486 mPrimaryOpen
    Redborne Upper School and Community College851 mSecondaryOpen
    Redborne Upper School and Community College851 mSecondaryClosed
    Bury Lawn School2.0 kmNot applicableClosed
    Waverly Pre-Preparatory School2.4 kmNot applicableClosed
    Templefield Lower School2.5 kmPrimaryOpen
    Woodland Middle School Academy2.5 kmMiddle deemed secondaryOpen
    • The Firs Lower School
      Distance
      0 m
      Phase
      Primary
      Status
      Closed
    • Alameda Middle School
      Distance
      220 m
      Phase
      Middle deemed secondary
      Status
      Closed
    • Alameda Middle School
      Distance
      220 m
      Phase
      Middle deemed secondary
      Status
      Open
    • Russell Lower School
      Distance
      486 m
      Phase
      Primary
      Status
      Open

    Similar schools

    Same phase (Primary) and local authority (Central Bedfordshire)

    School namePhasePostcodeStatus
    All Saints VA CofE Lower SchoolPrimarySG17 5ESClosed
    Ardley Hill AcademyPrimaryLU6 3NZOpen
    Ardley Hill Lower SchoolPrimaryLU6 3NZClosed
    Ashton St Peter's VA C of E SchoolPrimaryLU6 1EWOpen
    Aspley Guise Village SchoolPrimaryMK17 8JTClosed
    • All Saints VA CofE Lower School
      Phase
      Primary
      Postcode
      SG17 5ES
      Status
      Closed
    • Ardley Hill Academy
      Phase
      Primary
      Postcode
      LU6 3NZ
      Status
      Open
    • Ardley Hill Lower School
      Phase
      Primary
      Postcode
      LU6 3NZ
      Status
      Closed
    • Ashton St Peter's VA C of E School
      Phase
      Primary
      Postcode
      LU6 1EW
      Status
      Open
    • Aspley Guise Village School
    Redborne Upper School and Community College
    Distance
    851 m
    Phase
    Secondary
    Status
    Open
  • Redborne Upper School and Community College
    Distance
    851 m
    Phase
    Secondary
    Status
    Closed
  • Bury Lawn School
    Distance
    2.0 km
    Phase
    Not applicable
    Status
    Closed
  • Waverly Pre-Preparatory School
    Distance
    2.4 km
    Phase
    Not applicable
    Status
    Closed
  • Templefield Lower School
    Distance
    2.5 km
    Phase
    Primary
    Status
    Open
  • Woodland Middle School Academy
    Distance
    2.5 km
    Phase
    Middle deemed secondary
    Status
    Open
  • Phase
    Primary
    Postcode
    MK17 8JT
    Status
    Closed