Dunstable Central (E02003647) is part of Central Bedfordshire local authority (view on map). Dunstable Central has an approximate population of 11,000 people, of which 19% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".
Dunstable Central neighbours Houghton Regis South, Dunstable East, Dunstable West, Dunstable Manshead, Dunstable South, and Eaton Bray, Whipsnade & Holywell.
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Dunstable Central is the 26th least deprived area in Central Bedfordshire (out of 33) with 30% of children living in low-income families, compared to 25% across Central Bedfordshire and 38% nationally.
Information acquired from the school census.
In Dunstable Central, 12% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 16% in Central Bedfordshire and 27% nationally.
| % in Dunstable Central | % in Central Bedfordshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible for free school meals | 12% | 16% | 27% |
| Not eligible for free school meals | 88% | 84% | 73% |
In Dunstable Central, 16% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 17% in Central Bedfordshire, and 19% nationally.
This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.
| % in Dunstable Central | % in Central Bedfordshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No special educational needs | 84% | 83% | 81% |
| Receiving special educational needs support | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) | 6% | 6% | 5% |
In Dunstable Central, 34% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 21% in Central Bedfordshire, and 33% nationally.
Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.
| % in Dunstable Central | % in Central Bedfordshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 64% | 80% | 67% |
| Asian | 13% | 5% | 14% |
| Black | 9% | 4% | 7% |
| Mixed | 10% | 9% | 7% |
| Other | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Not known | 2% | 2% | 2% |
The percentage of pupils in Dunstable Central with English as an additional language is 30%, compared with 11% in Central Bedfordshire, and 22% nationally.
Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.
| % in Dunstable Central | % in Central Bedfordshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Known or believed to be other than English | 30% | 11% | 22% |
| Known or believed to be English | 70% | 89% | 78% |
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Dunstable Central has 13 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in Dunstable Central |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 13 |
| Childminders | 5 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 8 |
There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Dunstable Central since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Dunstable Central has 3 state-funded schools.
| Type | Number in Dunstable Central |
|---|---|
| All state-funded schools | 3 |
| Nursery schools | 0 |
| Primary and all-through schools | 2 |
| Secondary and all-through schools | 1 |
| Special schools | 0 |
| Registered alternative provision | 0 |
In Dunstable Central, there has been 1 full inspection of schools since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Under the renewed education inspection framework, schools are evaluated on the following areas:
The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:
Achievement: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Attendance and behaviour: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Curriculum and teaching: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Early years: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Inclusion: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Leadership and governance: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Personal development and wellbeing: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Post-16 provision: There have been no inspections of Post-16 provision in Dunstable Central so no outcomes are available for this area.
The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of state-funded schools in Dunstable Central. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attendance and behaviour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Early years | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Personal development and wellbeing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Post-16 provision | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data sources: