Pilgrims provides an enriched setting filled with adventures and challenges to enhance the learning experience for all our pupils.
With our team of dedicated and highly qualified staff, the delivery of a creative curriculum and purpose-built facilities, Pilgrims aims to engage and inspire children to unearth their individual interests and talents throughout their learning journey.
We endeavour to support every child to achieve their best as we stimulate the children’s curiosity, imagination and creativity as they develop into confident and independent thinkers.
We are proud of everything our little people have achieved and continue to achieve at Pilgrims, as we aspire to encourage every child to flourish.
2024/2025 academic year
EARLY YEARS (end of Reception aged 5 years)
Learning and development covers the seven key areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). These are made up of three prime areas and four specific areas. The prime areas, highlighted below, are considered to be the ‘building blocks’ of successful learning in the other four specific areas:
- personal, social and emotional development
- communication and language
- physical development
- literacy
- mathematics
- understanding the world
- expressive arts and design
Pilgrims hopes that all children will achieve a Good Level of Development (GLD) by the time they leave Reception. A GLD focuses on attainment not progress and, looks at all three prime areas, which are particularly crucial for inspiring children’s sense of curiosity and their enthusiasm for learning, along with their ability to form a successful, positive relationship together with Literacy and Numeracy.
Good Level of Development (GLD) – children attaining ‘expected’ in the Prime Areas, Literacy & Numeracy
Pilgrims: 81%
Bedford Borough: 66.9%
National: 67.2%
Key stage one: year 1 and year 2
Percentage of children at Pilgrims, achieving national expected levels or above:
Year 1 (aged 5-6)
80% in maths 90% in reading 80% in writing
Year 2 (aged 6-7)
100% in maths 100% in reading 95% in writing
National outcomes at the end of key stage one
70% in maths 68% in reading 60% in writing
Pilgrims Standardised Assessment outcomes
Year 1: end of May 2025
57% achieve ‘above average’ or ‘very high’ in maths 62% achieve ‘above average’ or ‘very high’ in literacy
National levels for maths and literacy – 23%
Year 2: end of January 2025
88% achieve ‘above average’ or ‘very high’ in maths 89% achieve ‘above average’ or ‘very high’ in literacy
National levels for maths and literacy – 23%
Life After Pilgrims
Harpur Trust Assessment Results: 2024/25
Year 2 children sit an Entrance Assessment for their chosen Harpur Trust Prep or Junior School. These assessments are carried out at Pilgrims and the results are shared with the relevant school(s) the children have been registered for. Some parents choose to register their child for a place in Year 3 at more than one Harpur Trust school. If this is the case, the children at Pilgrims will only be required to sit one entrance assessment.
From the 2025/26 academic year, Pilgrims children will benefit from taking part in the new ‘Pilgrims Priority Pathway’. As part of this process, the Year 2 children will sit their entrance assessments in November and places will be offered in December ahead of external applicants.
Below are the outcomes for the assessments carried out in January 2025:
60 children sat for a place at one of the other Harpur Trust Schools
60 children received at least one offer of a place (100% of cohort)
Harpur Trust school offers (includes double sitters):
23 girls offered a place at Bedford Girls School
28 boys offered a place at Bedford School
37 girls and boys offered a place at Bedford Modern