Belle Vue Girls' Academy

Belle Vue Girls' Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school in Bradford, part of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, serving a deprived community with above-average free school meals but unusually low identified SEND. Inspectors found a school performing securely overall: safeguarding is met, most areas are at the expected standard, and personal development and well-being is a standout strength. Pupils are well cared for, behave well, attend increasingly well, and benefit from a broad, academically focused curriculum with extensive enrichment and careers provision. Leadership and governance are coherent, with strong trust support, effective quality assurance and a clear focus on vulnerable pupils. Disadvantaged pupils progress well and attendance support is a particular strength; pupils with SEND are supported socially and emotionally, and alternative provision is overseen carefully. Post-16 provision is effective, and students generally achieve in line with national averages and move to appropriate destinations. The main areas for improvement concern SEND academic support and assessment consistency. Guidance for adapting teaching to some pupils with SEND is too generic and not sufficiently subject-specific, and checks on pupils' understanding are not always used consistently to close gaps. Attendance for some pupils with SEND also needs further work, and post-16 assessment occasionally fails to identify gaps and misconceptions.

Strengths

• Well-sequenced personal development programme covering mental health, well-being and online safety
• Pupils develop a deep understanding of healthy relationships and cultural diversity
• Strong focus on pupil voice, responsibility and self-confidence
• Extensive enrichment and wider opportunities tailored for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Well-structured careers education from Year 7 through post-16
• Attendance is improving and disadvantaged pupils attend better than their peers nationally
• High expectations and calm, respectful behaviour with extremely low suspension rates
• Broad academic curriculum with high EBacc entry and access to creative subjects
• Effective quality assurance and professional learning for teachers
• Disadvantaged pupils progress well and pupil premium funding is used effectively
• Strong support for pupils' social and emotional well-being, including the THRIVE initiative
• Clear strategic SEND leadership and appropriate oversight of alternative provision
• Governors and trustees provide effective support and challenge
• Staff feel well supported and leaders are mindful of workload
• Effective post-16 study programme with vocational and academic pathways
• Students receive independent careers advice and progress to ambitious next steps
• Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and pupils feel safe

Areas for Improvement

• Guidance for staff on adapting teaching to meet some pupils' SEND academic needs is too generic and not sufficiently subject-specific
• Checks on pupils' learning are not used consistently to identify gaps in understanding and inform teaching
• Academic progression for some pupils with SEND is not as consistently high as it could be
• Attendance of some pupils with SEND needs further improvement
• Post-16 assessment use is occasionally inconsistent, so gaps and misconceptions are not always addressed

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 Belle Vue Girls' Academy attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.7% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Belle Vue Girls' Academy 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 Belle Vue Girls' Academy had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.3% 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, 9.2% of pupils at Belle Vue Girls' Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.1% 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 Belle Vue Girls' Academy received £9,621 and spent £9,549 for each of its 959 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £421,000 (£439 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, income was £8,537 and spending £8,479 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bradford · Bradford local authority: places and applications

Belle Vue Girls' Academy is part of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Bradford Girls' Grammar School Bradford
• Lady Royd Primary School Bradford
• Shipley CofE Primary School Shipley
• Wycliffe CofE Primary School Shipley
• St Philip's CofE Primary School Bradford
• The Academy At St. James Bradford
• Christ Church Church of England Academy Shipley
• Clayton St John CofE Primary School Bradford
• Westminster Church of England Primary Academy Bradford
• St Oswald's Church of England Primary Academy Bradford

What is Belle Vue Girls' Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Belle Vue Girls' Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Belle Vue Girls' Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Belle Vue Girls' Academy was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Belle Vue Girls' Academy have?

Belle Vue Girls' Academy has 910 pupils on roll.

What age range does Belle Vue Girls' Academy cover?

Belle Vue Girls' Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Belle Vue Girls' Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.4, and 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Belle Vue Girls' Academy?

Belle Vue Girls' Academy is at Thorn Lane, Bingley Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD9 6NA.