The Vale Academy

The Vale Academy is a welcoming primary school where its values shape daily life. Inspectors found high expectations, strong relationships and pupils who are happy, feel safe and are keen to learn. Since the previous inspection, the school has improved and is now judged good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision, with personal development outstanding. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given. The school is part of Advantage Schools Trust following a merger, has co-principals in place since November 2024, and serves pupils aged 2 to 11.

Strengths

• The school’s values are embedded and understood by staff and pupils.
• Pupils enjoy learning and achieve well across an exciting, engaging curriculum.
• The curriculum is broad and highly ambitious, building on early years knowledge.
• Reading is prioritised, with early phonics and effective support for pupils who need it.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and the curriculum is adapted precisely for them.
• Behaviour is managed consistently and pupils follow routines such as the ‘Vale walk’.
• Pupils are polite, well mannered and feel safe and happy at school.
• Personal development is exceptionally strong, with wide clubs, trips and leadership opportunities.
• Careers education begins in early years and includes STEM exploration.
• Staff are well supported with training, and their well-being and workload are considered.
• Trustees and local governors understand their roles and challenge and support leaders effectively.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff lack the subject knowledge needed to teach a minority of subjects effectively, so key knowledge is not presented clearly and pupils’ progress slows.

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 The Vale Academy attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 1.8% of pupils at The Vale Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 The Vale Academy had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 7.3% of pupils at The Vale Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Vale Academy received £7,240 and spent £7,183 for each of its 575 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £551,000 (£958 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Advantage Schools, income was £7,950 and spending £7,863 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 Dunstable · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

The Vale Academy is part of Advantage Schools, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• The Chalk Hills Academy Luton
• Houstone School Dunstable
• The Stockwood Park Academy Luton
• The Linden Academy Luton
• The Rushmere Park Academy Leighton Buzzard
• Elstow School Bedford
• Bedford Free School Bedford
• Queen's Park Academy Bedford
• Laburnum Primary School Sandy

What is The Vale Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Vale Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was The Vale Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Vale Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does The Vale Academy have?

The Vale Academy has 601 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Vale Academy cover?

The Vale Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are The Vale Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Vale Academy?

The Vale Academy is at Wilbury Drive, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4QP.