Pendle Vale College, Nelson

Ofsted's report card from its 10 February 2026 inspection grades Pendle Vale College on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils leave this school ready to take appropriate next steps into further education, employment or training."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have maintained a keen focus on improving pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "In recent years, leaders have made astute decisions about the school's curriculum to support their high aspirations for pupils' success."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have successfully established a culture of inclusion at the school."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Since the school was last inspected, leaders' actions to secure further improvements have been deliberate, measured and well reasoned."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have closely aligned the school's personal development programme with their vision for overcoming social and cultural barriers to pupils' success."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teachers use strategies effectively to take account of pupils' differing starting points, including their special educational needs and/or disabilities, reducing any inconsistencies in the quality of pupils' classroom experiences"; "Leaders should further reduce the barriers to learning experienced by pupils who lack foundational skills such as spelling, handwriting and number".

In its own words: "As a values-driven organisation, we work with all stakeholders to three core values: Determination: Everyone works hard and demonstrates the resilience not to give up Respect: We recognise and value one another’s differences and that respect is mutual but not necessarily equal."

In 2026, pupils at Pendle Vale College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.

28% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 42.5.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.07: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 39.4, against 43.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 3.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and French.

For September 2026 entry, 220 families put Pendle Vale College as their first choice and 502 named it as one of their preferences, for 207 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 22 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Pendle Vale College are Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 41.5); Colne Primet Academy (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37.1); Marsden Heights Community College (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.5); and Colne Park High School (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.5).

Pendle Vale College's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

32 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Pendle Vale College (as of April 2026): 59% would recommend the school, 53% say their child is happy there and 31% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (66%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (31%).

Of the 214 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 89% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

37.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 30.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (83%) and White British (7%).

The nearest railway station is Nelson Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Walton Lane (by), 160 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Pendle Vale College stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 299 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Pendle Vale College issued 126 suspensions, 12.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Pendle Vale College are Castercliff Primary School (0.3 miles); Bradley Primary School (0.5 miles); Colne Primet Primary School (0.6 miles); and Holy Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School, Nelson (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.