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State secondary · 11 to 16 · Mixed · 1,046 pupils

Pendle Vale College

Oxford Road, Nelson, BB9 8LF · Lancashire
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COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027

We hold no offer-day distances for this school yet. Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.

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Ofsted report card · February 2026(53/79)Oversubscribed · 1.1 first choices per place (2026)
School website ↗Google Maps ↗Directions ↗Ofsted reports ↗DfE results ↗Government register ↗

Summary

The key facts, in one place
GCSE (key stage 4) The league rank: the school's place among its council's schools of the same phase on the newest year's DfE results, the same rank as on the Schools map. In England: 2,364th of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Lower half.
(53/79)Rank among 79 Lancashire secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
See the Lancashire league table →
Inspection
Ofsted report card, February 2026
Getting in
Oversubscribed for Year 7 2026
Results
+0.07 progress 8; 41.8 attainment 8
Size
1,046 pupils; 207 places a year; classes of 22
Run by
Lancashire council
Type
Community school
Ages
11 to 16 · Mixed
Ofsted, February 2026The judgements from the school's latest inspection. Reports from November 2025 use Ofsted's new report card, with different headings; we show whichever the latest report uses.Read the report ↗
AchievementExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
InclusionExpected standard
Safeguarding standardsMet
Strengths, and things to check
  • Progress 8: +0.07, against -0.08 in Lancashire.
  • Suspensions per 100 pupils: 12.1, against 14.9 in Lancashire.
  • Attainment 8: 41.8, against 46.5 in Lancashire.
  • English and maths, grade 5+: 28%, against 45% in Lancashire.
Schools for usRank every school near you by the measures that matter to your family, each reason shown.Rank schools →

At a glance

Against Lancashire and England
This schoolLancashireEnglandHover or tap a bar for the figures
Academic
Progress 8How far pupils progressed between the end of primary school and GCSEs, against pupils across England who started at the same level. 0 is average; +0.5 means half a grade better in each subject.
+0.07
Better than Lancashire
Attainment 8The average GCSE score across eight subjects, including English and maths counted twice. A grade 5 in all eight would score 50.
41.8
Worse than Lancashire
English and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
28%
Worse than Lancashire
Attendance and behaviour
Sessions missedHalf-day sessions missed, authorised or not, as a share of all sessions in the school year (DfE pupil absence). Lower is better.
8.2%
In line with Lancashire
Persistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
25.5%
Worse than Lancashire
Suspensions per 100 pupilsSuspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Lower is better; one or two incidents move a small school a lot.
12.1
Better than Lancashire
Pupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
21.6
Context
Free school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
38%
Context
Pupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
15.5
Context
Demand for places
First choices per placeFamilies who put this school first, for each Year 7 place in 2026 (DfE applications and offers). Above 1 means more first choices than places.
1.1
More sought after than Lancashire
Lancashire and England: DfE's own averages for results. For the rest, the middle state secondary school of the same phase, from every school we hold, since DfE publishes no council figure we hold.Where these figures come from →

Overview

Getting in

  • 220 families put it first for 207 places; 198 of them got in DfE, school applications and offers · Year 7 2026
  • We hold a catchment map for this school.
  • We can't tell how far Year 7 places reached: we hold no offer-day figures for this school. Ask the council or the school for the last distance offered.

Quality

  • Ofsted report card (Achievement: Expected standard; Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Leadership and governance: Expected standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met) Ofsted · inspected 10 February 2026
  • Progress 8: +0.07 (England +0.01) (county -0.08) DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024
  • Attainment 8: 41.8 (England 47.4) (county 46.5) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • English and maths grade 5 or above: 28% (England 48%) (county 45%) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • Progress, set against pupils who started with the same results: average DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024

Daily life

  • Absence: 8.2% of sessions missed; 26% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 9.0% and 27% DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level · 2024/25
  • Suspensions: 12 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 20); 3 permanent exclusions DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level · 2024/25
  • Classes average 21.6 pupils; 0.0% of classes have more than 30 DfE, school workforce and pupil census · 2025/26
  • 15.5 pupils for each teacher DfE, school workforce · November 2025
  • Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 157 m DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) · within 800 m
  • 19 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (0 fatal, 6 serious) DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years · 2021 to 2025
  • Air: nitrogen dioxide 7.1 µg/m³, PM2.5 6.1 (1 km square, background level) DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps · 2024

Who runs it

  • Community school is run by its local council (Lancashire), not by an academy trust. DfE, Get Information about Schools

Getting in

How far offers reached

How far away the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, as the council measures it. It changes every year with who applies: a record, not a promise. Children with a higher priority can be offered places from further away.

Year 7. Distance of the last child offered a place on offer day. What the last distance means →

Applications and offers, DfE

EntryYearPlacesFirst choicesAny choiceFirst choices offered
Year 72026207220502198
Year 72025203226555187
Year 72024206209543189
Year 72023207232522200
Year 72022203278573200
Year 72021208259533196
Year 72020209308607198
Year 72019208309590202
Year 72018208267542200
Year 72017203240465197

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2014 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.

Feeder school rules

We found no priority for named primary schools in the arrangements for 2027/28 (the document). Our tools read it, but nobody has read it line by line.

Quoted word for word from the arrangements the school or council published. Check the quote against the school's own current admission policy before you rely on it: rules change each year.

Could you get in?Enter a home or postcode: we set it against every year's last offer and this school's rules.

Results

Results

MeasureThis schoolEnglandCouncilYear
Progress 8+0.07+0.01-0.082023/2024
Attainment 841.847.446.52025/2026
English and maths grade 5 or above28%48%45%2025/2026

Source: DfE school performance tables, 2023/2024, 2025/2026.

League table place

TableLeague rank
GCSE (key stage 4)(53/79)

Source: DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase.

Inspections

DateKindOutcome
10 February 2026Report card7 areas graded
10 November 2021Ungraded visitSchool remains Good

Source: Ofsted, 2026.

Where leavers go

StageLeavers inPupilsIn a sustained placeOf which
After GCSEs2023/2421491%In education 90%; Apprenticeship 0.5%; Employment 0.5%
After GCSEs2022/2321392%In education 91%; Apprenticeship 0.9%; Employment 0.9%
After GCSEs2021/2221192%In education 91%; Apprenticeship 0.5%; Employment 0.9%

Source: DfE, destination measures. A figure DfE hides for a small group is left out, not shown as nought. The newest year may be provisional.

Lancashire league tableEvery school of this phase in the council on these results.See the table →

Daily life

Absence

YearSessions missedAuthorisedUnauthorisedPupils missing 1 in 10Pupils missing 1 in 2
2024/258.2%5.6%2.6%26%2.0%
2023/248.3%5.6%2.8%28%2.5%
2022/2310%7.4%2.9%42%2.1%
Schools with a similar intake9.0%27%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level, 2024-25. Similar intake: state schools of the same phase with free school meals in the same band (30-40%), the median of 654 schools.

Suspensions and exclusions

YearSuspensions per 100 pupilsPupils suspendedSuspensionsPermanent exclusions
2024/2512.18.0%1263
2023/2423.213%2455
2022/2317.811%1895
Schools with a similar intake19.7

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level, 2024-25.

Class sizes and staff

MeasureFigureYear
Average class size21.62025/26
Classes over 30 pupils0.0%2025/26
Pupils for each teacher15.5November 2025

Source: DfE, school workforce; school census, 2025/26.

Stops nearby

KindNearest (metres, straight line)
bus157

Source: DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes), current. A stop across a railway or main road may be a long walk. Bus frequency is not held.

Road collisions within 500 m

YearCollisions
20253
20246
20233
20223
20214

Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 6 serious and 0 fatal in all; 6 involved a pedestrian, 2 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.

Air quality

PollutantAnnual mean (µg/m³)Year
NO27.12024
PM108.82024
PM256.12024

Source: DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps. A 1 km background figure: not the air at the school gate beside a busy road.

Pupils

Who goes there

MeasureShare of pupilsYear
Eligible for free school meals38%2025/26
First language other than English30%2025/26
SEN support12%2025/26
Education, health and care plan4.2%2025/26
Girls44%2025/26

Source: DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs, 2025/26.

Who runs it

Who runs it

  • Community school is run by its local council (Lancashire), not by an academy trust. DfE, Get Information about Schools

Area

Homes in reach of this schoolLook up any home near here: its sales, an open-data valuation, and which schools it keeps in reach.Search homes →

Sources

  • DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps
  • DfE school performance tables
  • DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase
  • DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence)
  • DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level
  • DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level
  • DfE, destination measures
  • DfE, school workforce; school census
  • DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs
  • DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes)
  • DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years
  • Ofsted
  • School register: DfE Get Information about Schools (this school)
  • How we check these figures: How we know

More in schools in Nelson and the Lancashire league table. School register: DfE Get Information about Schools, updated 17 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources are named beside each figure. How we know · All sources.