Astor Secondary School
Academy converter · sixth form · 732 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 27.9
Academy converter
Valley Park School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,555of 1,157 places
- Free school meals
- 23.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 263
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 28 January 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Valley Park Community School (URN 131245, until 1 April 2011).
What the data says
Of the 265 pupils who finished Year 11 at Valley Park School in 2023, 46% stayed on in Valley Park School’s own sixth form (Kent average 56%), 36% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 153 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 45% went to university (Kent 39%, England 37%), and 5% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
A level grades average D+, well below the England average of B-; 5% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Psychology, English Literature and Religious Studies.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 37.6 against 46.1 across England and 46.7 in Kent, with 25% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Kent and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Valley Park School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 265 | 17,954 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 84% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 46% | 56% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 36% | 28% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Valley Park School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 153 | 14,947 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 45% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 5% | 20% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 33% | 30% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Valley Park School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 37.6 | 46.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 25% | 47% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 56% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 35% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.20 | 4.18 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 26% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.2 | 32.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 38.7 | 51.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 20% | 12% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 262 | 100% | 88% | 6% | 22% | 59% |
| English Language | 262 | 100% | 89% | 3% | 20% | 58% |
| English Literature | 258 | 98% | 86% | 7% | 21% | 62% |
| Combined Science | 257 | 98% | 65% | 4% | 9% | 44% |
| Geography | 204 | 78% | 41% | 1% | 25% | 42% |
| History | 168 | 64% | 41% | 3% | 26% | 39% |
| French | 89 | 34% | 18% | 1% | 29% | 12% |
| Business Studies | 58 | 22% | 18% | 0% | 20% | 52% |
| Psychology | 42 | 16% | 3% | 0% | 22% | 21% |
| Design and Technology | 38 | 14% | 11% | 3% | 23% | 34% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 34 | 13% | 8% | 9% | 21% | 56% |
| Photography | 33 | 13% | 6% | 9% | 19% | 82% |
| Fine Art | 27 | 10% | 9% | 4% | 28% | 85% |
| Music | 25 | 10% | 5% | 32% | 33% | 72% |
| Computer Science | 19 | 7% | 13% | 5% | 30% | 47% |
| Textiles | 18 | 7% | 2% | 11% | 27% | 100% |
| Art and Design | 18 | 7% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 83% |
| Graphic Communication | 17 | 6% | 1% | 53% | 23% | 100% |
| Drama | 14 | 5% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 57% |
| Dance | 8 | 3% | 1% | 38% | 27% | 75% |
| 3D Design | 7 | 3% | 2% | 43% | 16% | 100% |
| Biology | 6 | 2% | 23% | 0% | 45% | 17% |
| Portuguese | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Polish | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Spanish | 2 | 1% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 55 | 47% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 51 | 43% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 20 | 17% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 19 | 16% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 16 | 14% | — |
| Personal Health | 4 | 3% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 4 | 3% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Valley Park School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 309 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 118 | 7,794 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 22.40 | 34.87 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 5% | 17% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 43 | 36% | 23% |
| English Literature | 26 | 22% | 11% |
| Religious Studies | 22 | 19% | 4% |
| Geography | 17 | 14% | 10% |
| Politics | 17 | 14% | 6% |
| Graphic Communication | 16 | 14% | 2% |
| History | 15 | 13% | 13% |
| Photography | 12 | 10% | 3% |
| Art and Design | 8 | 7% | 1% |
| Computer Science | 8 | 7% | 5% |
| D and T Textiles Technology | — | — | 0% |
| Film Studies | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Mathematics | — | — | 31% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Business Studies | — | — | 13% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Classical Civilisation | — | — | 1% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 60 | 51% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 42 | 36% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 23 | 19% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 19 | 16% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 18 | 15% | — |
| Music performance: Group | VRQ Level 3 | 17 | 14% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 10% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 5% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Kent
Aylesford School
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Barton Court Grammar School
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Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
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Borden Grammar School
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Brockhill Park Performing Arts College
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Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.