Forge Valley School & Sixth Form

Forge Valley School has demonstrated a solid overall performance, maintaining a good standard across various areas of the educational environment. The school promotes inclusivity and fosters strong relationships between staff and pupils, which contribute to a positive learning atmosphere. While they hold high expectations academically and socially, some inconsistencies were noted in the delivery of the curriculum, which could affect students' depth of understanding. Nonetheless, the school effectively supports students with special educational needs and has made significant progress in improving attendance and providing personal development opportunities.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• High aspirations for all pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Well-structured reading programme that promotes a love of reading.
• Good quality careers programme with work experience opportunities.
• Calm and orderly behaviour environment with low rates of bullying.
• Engagement in a wide range of extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Tasks and activities do not always align with the ambition of the planned curriculum.
• Some parents express dissatisfaction with recent changes at the school.

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 Forge Valley School & Sixth Form attended 90.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.1% 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, 6.8% of pupils at Forge Valley School & Sixth Form were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Forge Valley School & Sixth Form had 21.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.0% 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, 7.0% of pupils at Forge Valley School & Sixth Form were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 21 pupils.

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 Forge Valley School & Sixth Form received £7,853 and spent £7,628 for each of its 1,542 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,785,000 (£1,806 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Inova Multi-Academy Trust Limited, income was £7,607 and spending £7,667 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 Sheffield · Sheffield local authority: places and applications

Forge Valley School & Sixth Form is part of Inova Multi-Academy Trust Limited, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Shooters Grove Nursery and Primary School Sheffield
• Wisewood Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Hillsborough Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Tapton School & Sixth Form Sheffield
• Hallam Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Meynell Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Bradfield Secondary School Sheffield
• Southey Green Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Dobcroft Junior School Sheffield

What is Forge Valley School & Sixth Form's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Forge Valley School & Sixth Form is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Forge Valley School & Sixth Form last inspected by Ofsted?

Forge Valley School & Sixth Form was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Forge Valley School & Sixth Form have?

Forge Valley School & Sixth Form has 1,494 pupils on roll.

What age range does Forge Valley School & Sixth Form cover?

Forge Valley School & Sixth Form for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Forge Valley School & Sixth Form's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.4, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Forge Valley School & Sixth Form?

Forge Valley School & Sixth Form is at Wood Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S6 5HG.