Vale of York Academy

Vale of York Academy has shown notable improvement since its establishment, demonstrating a welcoming environment and high expectations for all pupils. The leadership, supported by the trust, has transformed the school's performance in all areas, and there is a strong sense of community among staff and students. Pupils enjoy a wide array of extracurricular activities, particularly in sports, and have experienced success in their learning. However, while the overall quality of education is good, there are still areas for growth, particularly in ensuring consistency in written work and attendance among disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• Strong, positive relationships between teachers and pupils
• High expectations set by staff for pupil achievement
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• A well-thought-out curriculum that builds knowledge over time
• Good careers education opportunities for Years 10 and 11
• A wide range of extracurricular activities available to pupils

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent quality of written work between key stage 3 and key stage 4
• Disadvantaged pupils have higher absence rates compared to their peers
• Careers education in key stage 3 is not as strong as in key stage 4

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 Vale of York Academy attended 87.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.8% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Vale of York Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Vale of York Academy had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 3.5% of pupils at Vale of York Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 Vale of York Academy received £7,606 and spent £7,495 for each of its 703 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £943,000 (£1,342 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Heartwood Learning Trust, income was £8,073 and spending £7,816 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 York · York local authority: places and applications

Vale of York Academy is part of Heartwood Learning Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Burton Green Primary School York
• Manor Church of England Academy York
• Skelton Primary School York
• Poppleton Ousebank Primary School York
• Forest of Galtres Anglican/Methodist Primary School York
• Barlby High School Selby
• Newland St John's Church of England Academy Hull
• George Pindar School Scarborough
• Graham School Scarborough
• St James' Church of England Academy Hull

What is Vale of York Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Vale of York Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Vale of York Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Vale of York Academy have?

Vale of York Academy has 656 pupils on roll.

What age range does Vale of York Academy cover?

Vale of York Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Vale of York Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.7, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Vale of York Academy?

Vale of York Academy is at Rawcliffe Drive, Clifton Without, York, North Yorkshire, YO30 6ZS.