Woodbrook Vale School, Loughborough

Ofsted's report card from its 3 March 2026 inspection grades Woodbrook Vale School on 6 areas: 5 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "The achievement of pupils in national examinations over 3 years has been close to or above national averages."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Overall, leaders have established a well-designed curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "When pupils first arrive at the school, leaders swiftly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have successfully established an ethos among staff and leaders that ensures pupils' best interests drive the decisions taken."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school's approaches to support pupils' character development and understanding of fundamental British values are well embedded."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Pupils' overall attendance has been declining for 2 years, and school records show that this remains the case."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that they continually strengthen their work to improve the attendance of some groups of pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils"; "Leaders should continue to develop staff with the expertise needed to adapt learning activities, so that learning is precisely adapted to meet the needs of all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities"; "Leaders should clarify the curriculum regarding world religions in key stage 4 so that this aspect of the curriculum is taught thoroughly".

In its own words: "We were rated as 'Good' during our most recent Ofsted inspection, with many outstanding features highlighted. Ofsted reported that students make good progress and skills in reading, writing and mathematics are strongly promoted across a range of subjects. The school is inclusive in its outlook, and innovative in its engagement with students, parents/carers, and the wider community."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Students at Woodbrook Vale are already well known for their hard work, enthusiasm and excellent progress in a wide range of subjects including English and maths. Indeed this has been recognised by OFSTED , by visitors to the school and by our enthusiastic parents. Some students are also starting to make their mark in the wider community and as Headteacher."

In 2026, pupils at Woodbrook Vale School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.8 in Leicestershire and 47 across England.

55% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Leicestershire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 51.2.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.44: 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 34.7, against 54 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 209 families put Woodbrook Vale School as their first choice and 461 named it as one of their preferences, for 162 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 56 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Woodbrook Vale School are De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 57.5); Charnwood College (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.6); Limehurst Academy (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.4); and Rawlins (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44).

Woodbrook Vale School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

85 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Woodbrook Vale School (as of April 2026): 81% would recommend the school, 74% say their child is happy there and 68% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (81%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (67%).

Of the 174 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 68% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

12.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%), Asian (11%) and Mixed (7%).

The nearest tram or metro stop is Quorn & Woodhouse (Great Central Railway), about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Grasmere Road (adjacent), 150 metres away.

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

In 2024/25, Woodbrook Vale School issued 99 suspensions, 11.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Woodbrook Vale School are Outwoods Edge Primary School (0.4 miles), Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.8 miles), Mountfields Lodge School (1 mile) and Lift Beacon (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.