Has The Dean Academy been inspected by Ofsted?

Yes, The Dean Academy has been inspected by Ofsted. State-funded school inspections stopped receiving a single overall effectiveness grade from September 2024. From November 2025, renewed inspections use report cards with separate five-point grades for each evaluation area.

What does the admissions demand data show for The Dean Academy?

The Dean Academy recorded 162 first-choice applications and 165 offers made on national offer day for 2026/27. That is 1.0 first-choice applications per offer made. This is a historic demand signal, not an individual admission probability or a catchment boundary. Admission criteria, address, preferences and the applicant cohort also matter.

Does The Dean Academy offer SEND support?

DfE data for The Dean Academy lists these SEND need or provision categories: Specific Learning Difficulty (Dyslexia), Moderate Learning Difficulty, Social, Emotional & Mental Health, Speech, Language & Communication, Physical Disability, and 4 more categories. This does not guarantee a particular place or service. Contact the school's SENCO for its current provision.

What are The Dean Academy's exam results?

The Dean Academy's published exam results include: 32% achieved grade 5+ in English and Maths GCSE; Attainment 8 score of 43.1. Check the result year before comparing schools.

The Dean Academy

#4 in Best Secondary Schools in Forest of Dean area

Parent reviews

Pupils: 816
Ages: 11–16
Gender: Mixed
School type: Academy sponsor led

About

The Dean Academy is a state-funded secondary school in Forest of Dean, South West, for pupils aged 11 to 16 for boys and girls. DfE data records 816 pupils on roll and a published capacity of 1,095.

The latest recorded Ofsted inspection was on 27 Jan 2026 has no single overall grade. The published Attainment 8 score was 43.1 for 2024/25. Admissions data records 162 first-preference applications and 165 offers made on national offer day for 2026/27.

Reporting periods vary by source — Methodology.

School Rating

4/10

Classpot Rating

The Dean Academy’s combined academic results and attendance score is in the typical band compared with mainstream state secondary schools across England for 2024/25.

4/10Academic results

Typical

The school’s Attainment 8 score was 43.1 in 2024/25. This measures average attainment across eight GCSE-level qualifications, using DfE’s subject weighting rules.

The score compares this result with 3,058 mainstream state secondary schools in England with both required measures for 2024/25. Academic attainment contributes 90% of the combined score. It measures exam or assessment results, not how much progress pupils made from their starting points.

6/10Attendance

Typical

Overall absence was 8.30% of possible school sessions in 2024/25. This includes authorised and unauthorised absence; it is not the percentage of pupils who were persistently absent.

The score compares absence with 3,058 mainstream state secondary schools in England with both required measures for 2024/25. Lower absence receives a higher score. Attendance contributes 10% of the combined score and does not on its own measure teaching quality.

NAPupil progress

Not available for 2024/25

DfE did not publish Progress 8 for 2024/25 because the required KS2 assessments were cancelled during the pandemic. Progress would compare pupils’ outcomes with those of pupils with similar earlier attainment.

Pupil progress is not included in this version of Classpot Rating. Its absence does not reduce the school’s score.

Methodology and official sources

Contact Information

01594843202 www.thedeanacademy.org

Church Road, Lydney, Forest of Dean, GL15 5DZ

Hannah Rowlands

Details

School Type: Secondary (State)
Age Range: 11 to 16 years
Gender: Mixed
Establishment type: Academy sponsor led
Local Authority: Gloucestershire

The full reporton this school

School admissions data, what the Ofsted report means for you, and how it compares to nearby schools.

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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

27 Jan 2026 · Report card · Open inspection report ↗

Inspection judgements
Area	Judgement
Safeguarding standards	Met
Inclusion	Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching	Needs attention
Achievement	Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour	Expected standard
Personal development & wellbeing	Expected standard
Leadership & governance	Expected standard

Previous inspection · 22 Sept 2021Legacy grading · Good

Previous inspection judgements
Area	Judgement
Overall effectiveness	Good
Quality of education	Good
Behaviour & attitudes	Good
Personal development	Good
Leadership & management	Good

Published 23 Mar 2026.

Ofsted report cards use five grades per area, with no single overall grade or legacy equivalent.

Catchment & distance

Distance unavailable; check admission criteria with the school or council.

Admissions

Application dates · 2027/28 entry
Measure	Value
School’s local authority	Gloucestershire
Applications open	Usually 1 September 2026
Application deadline	31 October 2026
National offer day	1 March 2027

Apply through your home council; confirm local dates and any extra school forms.

Admissions demand · 2026/27
Measure	Value
Offers made on National Offer Day	165
First-preference applications	162
Applications (all preferences)	219
First-preference offers	161

Source: Published admissions data; follow each measure’s labelled basis, including all preferences where shown.

School performance

GCSE results

GCSE results · 2024/25
Measure	Value
Attainment 8 (average score)	43.1
English & maths: grades 9–4	57.8%
English & maths: grades 9–5	32.2%
EBacc entry	37.8%
EBacc grades 9–4	17.8%
EBacc grades 9–5	8.9%
EBacc average point score	3.8

DfE · 2024/25; compare the same year and measure (— unavailable or suppressed).

Destinations after GCSE · 2022/23
Destination	Pupils
This school’s sixth form	16.7%
Sixth-form college	0%
Further education college	53.7%
Apprenticeship	11.1%
Employment	7.4%
Not sustained	6.5%
Unknown	4.6%

Cohort: 108 pupils · Sustained education or employment: 88.9%

DfE destinations follow school leavers, not current pupils.

Students and teachers

19.4 pupils per qualified teacher

2025/26 · Full-time equivalent teachers, not class size.

Students

Number of pupilsPeriod not recorded: 816
School capacityPeriod not recorded: 1095
Free school meals (FSM)2025/26: 34.1%
English as an additional language (EAL)2025/26: 4%
Attendance2024/25: 91.7%
Persistent absence (10% or more of sessions)2024/25: 24.9%

Classes & attendance

Average class size2025/26: 25.5
Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25: 21.39
Suspensions (count)2024/25: 157
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils2024/25: 0.27
Permanent exclusions (count)2024/25: 2

More pupil data

Absence breakdown
Measure	Value
Authorised absence2024/25	6.09%
Unauthorised absence2024/25	2.21%

Ethnic background · 2025/26
Group	Pupils
White British	91.7%
White other	2.2%
Mixed	2.8%
Asian	0.7%
Black	1.9%
Other	0.1%

DfE school, census, workforce, absence and exclusion data; periods vary, and missing values are not zero.

Published SEND Data

Autism
Dyslexia
Mental Health
Speech & Language
Physical
Learning Difficulty
SEN Unit
Resourced Provision
Other

DfE data; confirm current support with the school's SENCO.

Ofsted Parent View

78.4% would recommend this school

102 responses · Nov 2025 – Apr 2026

Parent survey responses
Question	Agree or strongly agree
Happy at school	74.6%
Feels safe	76.5%
Behaviour	64.7%
Bullying handled	44.5%

Additional parent survey responses
Question	Agree or strongly agree
SEND support	53.1%
Communication	74.6%
Concerns handled	61.8%
Best interests	69.6%
Support to learn	67.7%

FAQ about The Dean Academy

Results: Published results describe a past pupil cohort. Compare the same measure and reporting year; attainment and progress measure different things. Understanding secondary results.

Inspection: Read the inspection date and full report alongside the headline judgement. Schools inspected under different frameworks cannot be compared using a headline grade alone. Understanding Ofsted inspections.

Admissions: Applications and places describe past demand, not your child’s chance of an offer. Check the entry year and current admission criteria, including any priority groups. School admissions timeline.

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