Community school

Pendle Vale College

Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formLancashire, North West · Nelson BB9 8LFSchool website
Pupils on roll
1,046of 1,050 places
Free school meals
37.6%
Year 11 cohort 2025
205
Ofsted
Report card, 10 February 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Expected standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registrations: Brierfield Mansfield High School (URN 119718); Nelson Walton High School (URN 119762); Nelson Edge End High School (URN 119766).

What the data says

Pendle Vale College has no sixth form. Of the 213 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 90% to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.

French is unusually popular at GCSE: 48% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 42.5 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Lancashire, with 32% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).

Almost nobody goes straight into an apprenticeship or a job: 1% took an apprenticeship and 1% went into work, against 3% and 3% across England.

Where pupils went after Year 11

Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Lancashire and England.

Pendle Vale College
Lancashire
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasurePendle Vale CollegeLancashireEngland
Pupils in the cohort21313,296607,348
Any sustained destination92%90%92%
Stayed in education91%81%86%
— school sixth form0%12%34%
— sixth form college0%20%13%
— further education college90%48%37%
— other education2%2%
Apprenticeship1%5%3%
Employment1%4%3%
No sustained destination5%7%6%
Destination unknown2%2%3%

GCSE results 2025

MeasurePendle Vale CollegeLancashireEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)42.545.146.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths32%44%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths54%64%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects49%34%41%
EBacc average point score3.743.954.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort30%26%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils37.732.734.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils44.549.350.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language64%12%19%

Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.

Subjects taken at GCSE

Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Mathematics204100%88%10%22%60%
English Language204100%89%9%20%58%
English Literature20399%86%11%21%65%
History14169%41%11%26%44%
Combined Science12260%65%1%9%34%
Religious Studies10853%31%22%32%78%
French9848%18%14%29%66%
Biology8140%23%17%45%89%
Chemistry8039%23%20%47%91%
Physics8039%23%16%46%88%
Geography5828%41%12%25%48%
Art and Design3718%7%19%24%92%
Media Studies2613%4%8%20%50%
Urdu42%1%42%
Italian42%0%53%
Spanish21%19%27%
Arabic10%1%47%
Citizenship Studies10%3%19%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Computer Appreciation / Introduction45
Sports Studies41
Engineering Studies36
Childcare Skills34
Speech and Drama19
Hospitality / Catering Studies11

Other secondary schools in Lancashire

Academy@Worden

Academy converter · 660 pupils

74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.2

Accrington Academy

Academy sponsor led · 953 pupils

79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.4

Albany Academy

Academy converter · 725 pupils

76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.7

Alder Grange School

Community school · sixth form · 899 pupils

82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.0

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.