Woodbrook Vale School

Woodbrook Vale School is a well-regarded secondary school where pupils achieve well academically, with attainment and progress in national examinations typically at or above national averages. The school has a calm, orderly environment, exemplary pupil behaviour, and a strong ethos of respect and community. Leaders have established a broad, well-designed curriculum, and teaching is largely effective, with staff receiving high-quality professional development. The school's provision for vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, is a notable strength, with bespoke support such as 'the zone' and exemplary use of alternative provision. However, the school's grade profile is uneven: while achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing are all judged at the expected standard, attendance and behaviour is graded 'needs attention' due to declining overall attendance and poor attendance among disadvantaged pupils over two years. Inspectors also identified that the key stage 4 curriculum for world religions lacks clarity, and that teachers' adaptations for some pupils with SEND are not consistently effective, though leaders are already taking action to address these issues.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well, with attainment and progress in national examinations typically at or above national averages.
• The school has a calm and orderly environment where pupils behave very well and demonstrate admirable character traits.
• Leaders have established a broad, well-designed curriculum that is logically organised and taught effectively.
• High-quality teaching, supported by strong subject knowledge and effective professional development, enables pupils to learn well.
• Leaders accurately identify and support vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, through bespoke provision such as 'the zone' and exemplary alternative provision.
• The school's pastoral care and personal development programme effectively support pupils' mental and physical health, relationships and understanding of fundamental British values.
• Staff morale is high, and leaders consider staff wellbeing and workload, contributing to strong retention.
• The school is well regarded by parents and carers, and provides extensive enrichment, careers education and leadership opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' overall attendance has been declining for two years, and disadvantaged pupils' attendance remains below national averages.
• Adaptations to support some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistently effective, limiting their achievement.
• The key stage 4 curriculum for world religions lacks clarity, meaning this aspect of the curriculum is not taught thoroughly.
• Disadvantaged pupils' achievement, while close to national averages overall, shows variability, with a significant gap in English and maths GCSE in 2024/25.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Woodbrook Vale School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.5% of pupils at Woodbrook Vale School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Woodbrook Vale School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.9% of pupils at Woodbrook Vale School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Woodbrook Vale School received £7,851 and spent £7,965 for each of its 830 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,104,000 (£1,330 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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All schools in Loughborough · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Woodbrook Vale School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodbrook Vale School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Woodbrook Vale School last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodbrook Vale School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Woodbrook Vale School have?

Woodbrook Vale School has 839 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodbrook Vale School cover?

Woodbrook Vale School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Woodbrook Vale School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.4, and 55% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Woodbrook Vale School?

Woodbrook Vale School is at Grasmere Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 2ST.