The Valley Leadership Academy
56%
Capacity
589
Pupils
0.8x
Demand
About The Valley Leadership Academy
The Valley Leadership Academy in Rossendale is a secondary school that currently serves 589 pupils against a capacity of 1,050, meaning it has significant room to grow. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals stands at 44%, which is notably high and reflects the school's intake in a community with considerable socioeconomic need. For the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 117 total applications for 139 places, making it undersubscribed with an oversubscription ratio of 0.84. Only 47 first-preference applications were recorded, suggesting that local families are not yet prioritising the school in large numbers. The school is mixed, non-denominational, and caters for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form provision. Headteacher Colette Roberts leads a school that, based on these figures, is still building its reputation and local demand.
Academically, the school's most recent data from the 2023/24 academic year shows a Progress 8 score of -1.08, which is well below average and ranks it 6th out of 6 schools in Rossendale, and 3044th out of 3141 nationally. This is a significant gap compared to the Lancashire local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.11. The Attainment 8 score is 29.6, and just 39.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, dropping to 32.2% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score is 2.74, with only 8.5% of pupils entering the full EBacc combination. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023, the school was rated Requires Improvement overall, with personal development rated Good. This is an improvement from its previous Inadequate rating in 2019, showing some progress in leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, and quality of education, all now rated Requires Improvement.
The school offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, sports hall, ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, and playing fields, plus a sixth form centre despite no official sixth form. Sports on offer include dance, swimming, hockey, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, rounders, basketball, cricket, and martial arts, while clubs range from drama and choir to Model UN, coding, and chess. SEND provisions are extensive, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate to severe learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 13 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025 show strong positive sentiment on safety (100% agree or strongly agree that children feel safe) and communication (100% agree or strongly agree that the school lets them know how their child is doing), though concerns are raised about how concerns are dealt with and awareness of what children will learn. This school may suit families who value strong personal development support and a wide range of extracurricular activities, and who are comfortable with a school still working to improve its academic outcomes.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 16 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Does not apply |
| Address | Fearns Moss, Bacup, Rossendale, OL13 0TG |
| Headteacher | Colette Roberts |
| Local Authority | Lancashire |
| Number of Pupils | 589 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 44.0% |
| School Capacity | 589 / 1,050 (56% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
19 Sept 2023Overall Effectiveness
Requires improvement
Source: Ofsted, 24 Oct 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-1.08)
3044th of 3,141
Nationally
421st of 445
In North West
6th of 6
In Rossendale
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make significantly less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/238%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 50 pupils).
- FE college70%
- School sixth form (stay)8%
- Not sustained8%
- Apprenticeship6%
- Employment6%
90% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Ofsted Parent View
13 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
8Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
18Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26139
117
Places Available
More places available than applications received
47 families put this school as their 1st choice (40% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Among the highest-disadvantage schools.
Below most schools — predominantly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British88.6%
- Mixed3.0%
- Asian2.1%
- White (other)0.7%
- Black0.2%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
9
Total schools
7
Oversubscribed
6
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Valley Leadership Academy
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
School Admissions Timeline 2026/27
Key dates for primary, secondary and nursery applications
Contact Information
Fearns Moss, Bacup
Rossendale, OL13 0TG
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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