Manshead CE Academy

Manshead CE Academy is a mixed Church of England secondary academy and sixth form located on the outskirts of both Caddington and Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England.^[2]

Manshead CE Academy
Manshead CE Academy
Address
Dunstable Road Caddington , Bedfordshire , LU1 4BB England
Coordinates	51.87277°N 0.49613°E / 51.87277; 0.49613
Information
Type	Sponsored academy
Religious affiliation(s)	Church of England
Established	1888
Local authority	Central Bedfordshire
Department for Education URN	109705 Tables
Headteacher	Mr Wajid Tufiq[1]
Gender	Mixed
Age	11 to 19
Enrolment	1118 As of September 2024
Enrollment cap	Enrollment capped at 1350 students
Website	http://www.mansheadschool.co.uk/

The academy (surrounded by countryside and hills) is a member of the Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy Trust.

The academy is the modern successor to Dunstable Grammar School, which existed from 1881 to 1971 when Bedfordshire adopted the comprehensive education system. From this time, it was an upper school educating pupils aged 13–18, with Ashton Middle School in particular acting as a feeder school to Manshead. However, in September 2014, Manshead became a full secondary school accepting pupils at age 11.

In May 2017, the school converted to a sponsored academy with the Diocese of St Albans Multi-Academy Trust. ^[3]

The academy is named after the ancient Manshead Hundred which covered an area in the south-west of Bedfordshire and included Dunstable.

Academic performance

Manshead CE Academy was rated "Good" by Ofsted in its September 2021 inspection,^[4] reflecting the school's overall effectiveness in providing education to its students. The inspection assessed various aspects of the school's performance and found it to be meeting good standards across key areas.

Since September 2024, Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgement in inspections of state-funded schools,^[5] which will affect how future inspection outcomes are reported and communicated.

31% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in their GCSE examinations, with 92.70% of pupils successfully completing their main study programme.^[6]

2025 knife incident

In the afternoon on Friday, 2 May 2025 police were called to the school after reports of a teenager with a knife, two individuals associated with the school were taken to the hospital with only minor injuries. The school was placed into lockdown while the teenager was detained at the school and another man was taken into custody elswhere.

A 16 year old boy was later charged with false imprisonment, Grievous Bodily Harm with intent and three counts of Threatening a person with a bladed article on school premises.

The teenager later admitted to wounding, false imprisonment and threats with a knife.

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Notable former pupils

• Kevin McCloud – designer, writer and television presenter
• Tim Robinson – former cricketer and current cricket umpire

Other secondary schools in the area

• All Saints Academy
• Queensbury Academy
• Priory Academy