Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #50 in Lancashire public Top 30% UK

Pendle Vale College

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Oliver Handley

location_onNelson, BB9 8LF

language Visit Website phone 1282682240

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

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Students

1,064

trending_up

Attainment 8

42.5

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GCSE Rank

#50 in Lancashire

#2,173 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Pendle Vale College is a Community school secondary school in Nelson, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Pendle Vale College is a community school in Nelson, Lancashire, admitting pupils aged 11-16. The school has approximately 1,042 pupils on roll, of whom 34% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.5, placing the school #50 in Lancashire and #2,173 of 3,216 nationally. 32.20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 11.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.0× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.7:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 4.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

42.5

Grade 5+ E&M

32.20%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)11.1%

Entering EBacc48.80%

EBacc APS3.74

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52.30%

EBacc APS3.71

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.03

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc42%

EBacc APS3.50

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28%

EBacc APS3.81

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc10%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS3.93

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.3

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.96

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

09 November 2021

Inspection Report

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07 December 2016

Inspection Report

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14 June 2016

Inspection Report

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03 October 2012

Inspection Report

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27 September 2010

Inspection Report

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23 October 2008

Inspection Report

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27 November 2007

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2016-12-07

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2016-06-14

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2012-10-03

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2010-09-27

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

4.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.6%(37 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,042 pupils. During this period, there were 43 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.1%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,042	43	4.1%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,042	49	4.7%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,059	91	8.6%	7.4%	3
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,055	74	7.0%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,054	80	7.6%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,063	69	6.5%	6.6%	3
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,064	62	5.8%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,060	58	5.5%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,069	71	6.6%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,068	53	5.0%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,070	63	5.9%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,071	60	5.6%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,074	5	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,074	19	1.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,067	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,067	23	2.2%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,070	39	3.6%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,049	20	1.9%	3.1%	3
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,044	36	3.4%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,052	43	4.1%	3.8%	6
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,040	74	7.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,036	35	3.4%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,043	52	5.0%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,029	108	10.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,029	68	6.6%	3.3%	2
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,028	33	3.2%	3.1%	2

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 46 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 10 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 8 pupils

Hearing Impairment 8 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Visual Impairment 6 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 3 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 1 pupils