The Vale Academy, Brigg
The Vale Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Brigg, part of Delta Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 3rd-highest of the 14 schools in North Lincolnshire with published results, and 1,276th of 3,298 across England. It was 67% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to North Lincolnshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Vale Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Vale Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.7 in North Lincolnshire and 47 across England.
59% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in North Lincolnshire and 47% in England.
That is down from 51.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.45: pupils made above 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 38.5, against 51.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and French.
Getting a place at The Vale Academy
For September 2026 entry, 114 families put The Vale Academy as their first choice and 266 named it as one of their preferences, for 120 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
The trust
The Vale Academy is one of 64 schools run by Delta Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.1 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 150 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 41% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Of the 39 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 49% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 21% into work. 15% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
4.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 55 pupils (8.8%) received SEN support and 15 (2.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Brigg Rail Station, about 1160 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Vale Academy (in), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Vale Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Vale Academy issued 197 suspensions, 29 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Vale Academy are Brigg Primary School (0.1 miles), St Mary's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy (Brigg) (0.1 miles) and Wrawby St Mary's CofE Primary School (1.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Brigg Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy (Brigg)Wrawby St Mary's CofE Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from March 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2013 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
About
The Vale Academy is a co-educational secondary school with academy status on Atherton Way in the market town of Brigg, North Lincolnshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
23.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from 0.32 to 0.45 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 49.0 to 48.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 51% to 59% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 48.1 | 58.7% |
| Disadvantaged(33) | - | 38.5 | 36.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(93) | - | 51.5 | 66.7% |
| Boys(57) | - | 47.9 | 59.6% |
| Girls(69) | - | 48.2 | 58% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(120) | - | 48.8 | 60.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 150 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.29%
Exclusion rate
197
Suspensions
28.97%
Suspension rate
46 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 680 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Vale Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Vale Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Vale Academy is in North Lincolnshire; for families living there:
Apply to North Lincolnshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in North Lincolnshire is 7.5 (the median across 94 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Vale Academy
Will you get a place at The Vale Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Vale Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Vale Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Vale Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from North Lincolnshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Vale Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in North Lincolnshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
67%
Available places
677 pupils
1,010 places
333 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brigg
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brigg
Across North Lincolnshire council
Places available
2,201
Applications
1,717
Got 1st preference
96.2%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All secondary applications across North Lincolnshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
55
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
11.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
627
Total Pupils
281
Boys
346
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
36
Teachers
17.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,189
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,993
Per pupil
£4489k
Total funding
£167k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.2%
Overall absence
20.3%
Persistent absence
630
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about The Vale Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Vale Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Vale Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 48.1. 59% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Vale Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Vale Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Vale Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Vale Academy is oversubscribed, North Lincolnshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Vale Academy?
The Vale Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 67% of its 1010 places.
How big are the classes at The Vale Academy?
Classes at The Vale Academy average 19.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Vale Academy?
The Vale Academy has around 627 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Vale Academy?
7.2% of sessions were missed at The Vale Academy in 2024/25. 20.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Vale Academy?
Apply through North Lincolnshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Vale Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Vale Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in North Lincolnshire is 7.5 (the median across 94 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Vale Academy?
The Vale Academy is at Atherton Way, Brigg, Lincolnshire, DN20 8AR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)