Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #21 in Bradford public Top 39% UK

Valley Academy

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

personMrs Jane Hobbs

corporate_fareONE IN A MILLION FREE SCHOOL

location_onBradford, BD8 7DX

language Visit Website phone 1274723439

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2023

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Students

378

trending_up

Attainment 8

38.7

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GCSE Rank

#21 in Bradford

#2,709 of 3,216 nationally

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Valley Academy is a Free schools secondary school in Bradford, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

Valley Academy is a free schools in Bradford, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of ONE IN A MILLION FREE SCHOOL. The school has approximately 364 pupils on roll, of whom 54% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38.7, placing the school #21 in Bradford and #2,709 of 3,216 nationally. 45.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 16.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 5.4 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

38.7

Grade 5+ E&M

45.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)16.5%

Entering EBacc1.30%

EBacc APS3.11

2024

Progress 8 Score

-1.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

30.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc16.90%

EBacc APS2.61

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.29

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

35.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS2.97

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.53

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6%

EBacc APS2.69

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc3%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.83

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

30.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc8%

EBacc APS2.49

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.75

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

30.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS2.59

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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

81%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)15%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

79%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)75%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)16%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

80%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)20%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

77%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)76%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)20%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 June 2023

Inspection Report

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20 March 2018

Inspection Report

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30 June 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-06-13

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2018-03-20

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-06-30

None Legacy

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

4.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.6%(13 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 364 pupils. During this period, there were 16 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.4%, 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)	364	16	4.4%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	376	24	6.4%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	362	17	4.7%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	368	14	3.8%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	377	32	8.5%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	379	18	4.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	378	13	3.4%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	376	20	5.3%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	369	12	3.3%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	369	21	5.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	372	10	2.7%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	372	16	4.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	369	4	1.1%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	370	25	6.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	367	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	367	22	6.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	376	100	26.6%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	362	82	22.7%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	361	67	18.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	365	46	12.6%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	347	35	10.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	336	15	4.5%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	339	27	8.0%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	246	33	13.4%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	248	70	28.2%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	250	6	2.4%	3.1%	0

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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 22 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 22 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 16 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 7 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 4 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 2 pupils