Appleton Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,207 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 35.1
Free schools
Valley Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 356of 375 places
- Free school meals
- 52.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 77
- Ofsted
- Report card, 17 March 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Expected standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
What the data says
Valley Academy has no sixth form. Of the 74 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 20% moved to a sixth form college, 50% to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
15% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 38.7 against 46.1 across England and 40.8 in Bradford, with 46% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Almost nobody goes straight into an apprenticeship or a job: none took an apprenticeship and none went into work, against 3% and 3% across England.
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 Bradford and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Valley Academy | Bradford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 74 | 6,849 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 88% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 81% | 84% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 9% | 33% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 20% | 11% | 13% |
| — further education college | 50% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 15% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 5% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Valley Academy | Bradford | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 38.7 | 40.8 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 46% | 38% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 57% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 1% | 42% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.11 | 3.56 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 46% | 36% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 29.2 | 31.7 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.6 | 45.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 57% | 34% | 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 | 77 | 100% | 88% | 10% | 22% | 65% |
| English Language | 77 | 100% | 89% | 17% | 20% | 65% |
| English Literature | 67 | 87% | 86% | 22% | 21% | 66% |
| Combined Science | 67 | 87% | 65% | 15% | 9% | 63% |
| History | 34 | 44% | 41% | 21% | 26% | 68% |
| Religious Studies | 27 | 35% | 31% | 37% | 32% | 85% |
| Geography | 22 | 29% | 41% | 5% | 25% | 55% |
| Computer Science | 16 | 21% | 13% | 0% | 30% | 44% |
| Fine Art | 12 | 16% | 9% | 25% | 28% | 50% |
| Spanish | 1 | 1% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Biology | 1 | 1% | 23% | — | 45% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 19 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 19 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | — | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 16 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 10 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Bradford
Beckfoot Oakbank
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,394 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 35.3
Beckfoot School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,592 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.0
Beckfoot Thornton
Academy sponsor led · 1,243 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.2
Beckfoot Upper Heaton
Academy sponsor led · 679 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.3
Belle Vue Girls' Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 910 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.2
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.