The Vale Academy
Primary · Academy converter · Mixed · Central Bedfordshire
Wilbury Drive, Dunstable, LU5 4QP
75
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Not judged
Graded 03/06/2025
Application demand
98%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
95.0%
13.8% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
601
Capacity used
Over capacity107%
563 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
98%
1st preference success rate
57 of 58 families who put it first got an offer
61
Places offered
88
Total applications
1.4
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 58 | 57 | ● 98% |
| 2nd preference | 25 | 3 | ● 12% |
| 3rd preference | 5 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 88 | 60 | 68% |
1st preference success by year
Central Bedfordshire lets families list 3 preferences. 22 applications came from outside the council area (16 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Age range
- 2–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Jan Figueiredo
- Address
- Wilbury Drive, Dunstable, LU5 4QP
- Phone
- 01582211150
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Ward / constituency
- Dunstable East · Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 138714
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 13% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 28% | — | — |
| SEN support | 8% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 3 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: ADVANTAGE SCHOOLS
601 pupils · 563 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 25
03 June 2025
Full graded inspection
Not judged overall effectivenessEarly years Good Personal development Outstanding Quality of education Good Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Good Leadership and management Good
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 463 pupils
Attendance
95.0%
Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%
Overall absence
5.0%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%
Persistent absence
13.8%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%
Severe absence
0.2%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
0.9%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results (Key Stage 2)
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 75% | — | — |
| Higher standard | 0% | — | — |
| Reading progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Writing progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Maths progress | — | — | 0.0 |
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 73% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 0% | 8% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Central Bedfordshire council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 April (or next working day) |
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.