Wey Valley Academy, Weymouth
Wey Valley Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Weymouth, part of Authentic Education Group Limited. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 16th-highest of the 19 schools in Dorset with published results, and 2,787th of 3,298 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Wey Valley Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Wey Valley Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Dorset and 47 across England.
38% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Dorset and 47% in England.
That is down from 41 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.36: pupils made below 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 28.9, against 44.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Wey Valley Academy
For September 2026 entry, 182 families put Wey Valley Academy as their first choice and 289 named it as one of their preferences, for 182 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Wey Valley Academy are Budmouth Academy Weymouth (2.4 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40); All Saints' Church of England Academy (3.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37.8); The Thomas Hardye School (4.6 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 47.8); and Dorchester Middle School (4.6 miles, Requires improvement).
Wey Valley Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Budmouth Academy WeymouthAll Saints' Church of England AcademyThe Thomas Hardye SchoolDorchester Middle School
The trust
Wey Valley Academy is one of 13 schools run by Authentic Education Group Limited, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.1 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 180 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 78% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.
Who goes there
33.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 7.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Upwey Rail Station, about 630 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wey Valley School (e-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 88 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wey Valley Academy issued 761 suspensions, 76.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Wey Valley Academy are St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School (0.1 miles), Radipole Primary School (0.7 miles), Bincombe Valley Primary School (0.9 miles) and Southill Primary School (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary SchoolRadipole Primary SchoolBincombe Valley Primary SchoolSouthill 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
33.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.46 to -0.36 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 36.1 to 38.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 31% to 38% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 38.9 | 38.2% |
| Disadvantaged(77) | - | 28.9 | 18.2% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(130) | - | 44.9 | 50% |
| Boys(100) | - | 37.8 | 38% |
| Girls(107) | - | 40.0 | 38.3% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(15) | - | 45.1 | 46.7% |
| Non mobile(199) | - | 39.4 | 39.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 2 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 180 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.20%
Exclusion rate
761
Suspensions
76.41%
Suspension rate
152 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 996 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Wey Valley Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wey Valley Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wey Valley Academy is in Dorset; for families living there:
Apply to Dorset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 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 Wey Valley Academy
Will you get a place at Wey Valley Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wey Valley Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wey Valley Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wey Valley Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wey Valley Academy for 2020 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Dorset 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
83%
Available places
986 pupils
1,183 places
197 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Weymouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Weymouth
Across Dorset council
Places available
2,797
Applications
2,105
Got 1st preference
97.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All secondary applications across Dorset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
129
SEN Support
42
EHC Plans
17.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
994
Total Pupils
506
Boys
488
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
61
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,634
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,258
Per pupil
£7742k
Total funding
£354k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
14.0%
Overall absence
32.7%
Persistent absence
1,026
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 Wey Valley Academy
What are GCSE results like at Wey Valley Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Wey Valley Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38.9. 38% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Wey Valley Academy's Ofsted rating?
Wey Valley Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for Wey Valley Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Wey Valley Academy is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Wey Valley Academy?
Wey Valley Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 1183 places.
How big are the classes at Wey Valley Academy?
Classes at Wey Valley Academy average 27 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Wey Valley Academy?
Wey Valley Academy has around 994 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wey Valley Academy?
14% of sessions were missed at Wey Valley Academy in 2024/25. 32.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wey Valley Academy?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Wey Valley 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 Wey Valley Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Wey Valley Academy?
Wey Valley Academy is at 436 Dorchester Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 5AN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)