Vale of York Academy
Rawcliffe Drive, Clifton Without, York, YO30 6ZS
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HEARTWOOD LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Sheriden Hutchinson-Jones
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of York
- Sponsor
- Hope Sentamu Learning Trust
- Constituency
- York Outer
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 905
- Pupils on roll
- 656
- URN
- 143864
- Local authority
- York
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01904560000
About this school
Vale of York Academy is a secondary academy in York. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 656 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Vale of York Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 108 | 143 | 142 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.7 | 43.7 | 45.3 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.10 -0.37 to +0.17 | -0.06 -0.31 to +0.18 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 47.6% | 51.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 60.8% | 70.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 33% | 41.3% | 20.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Vale of York Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | York average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.7 | 40.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43.7 | 43 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.3 | 44.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 684 |
| 2023/24 | 714 |
| 2024/25 | 701 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Vale of York Academy compares
Vale of York Academy ranked 8th of 9 secondary schools in York for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 58% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.3 | 12.2% | 24.7% | 656 | — |
| Manor Church of England Academy | 54 | 8.1% | 14.8% | 1,136 | 1.5 miles |
| Huntington School | 48.2 | 10.4% | 16.4% | 1,505 | 1.7 miles |
| All Saints Catholic School York | 53.7 | 8% | 12.4% | 1,392 | 1.7 miles |
| Millthorpe School | 53.2 | 9.6% | 16.2% | 1,022 | 1.9 miles |
| Joseph Rowntree School | 48.2 | 10.9% | 20% | 1,248 | 1.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report5 February 2025
- 13 November 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.68%
- English as an additional language
- 7.8%
- Overall absence
- 12.18%
- Persistent absence
- 32.79%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Manor Church of England Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · York
-
Huntington School1.7 miles
Secondary · York
-
All Saints Catholic School York1.7 miles
Secondary · York
-
Millthorpe School1.9 miles
Secondary · York
-
Joseph Rowntree School1.9 miles
Secondary · York
Other schools in York
Vale of York Academy ranks 11th of the 13 ranked secondary schools in York.
- All Saints Catholic School York Secondary
- Archbishop Holgate's School, A Church of England Academy Secondary
- Boroughbridge High School Secondary
- Fulford School Secondary
- Huntington School Secondary
- Joseph Rowntree School Secondary
- Manor Church of England Academy Secondary
- Millthorpe School Secondary
- Outwood Academy Easingwold Secondary
- Ryedale School Secondary
- Woldgate School and Sixth Form College Secondary
- York High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Vale of York Academy teach?
- Vale of York Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in York.
- Who is the headteacher of Vale of York Academy?
- The headteacher of Vale of York Academy is Ms Sheriden Hutchinson-Jones, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Vale of York Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Vale of York Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Vale of York Academy?
- Vale of York Academy has 656 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Vale of York Academy full?
- Vale of York Academy has capacity for 905 pupils and 656 on roll (72%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Vale of York Academy a faith school?
- No. Vale of York Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Vale of York Academy a selective school?
- No. Vale of York Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Vale of York Academy part of an academy trust?
- Vale of York Academy is part of HEARTWOOD LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Vale of York Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.7 in 2022/23 and 45.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Vale of York Academy compare with other schools in York?
- Vale of York Academy ranked 8th of 9 secondary schools in York for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 58% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Vale of York Academy's absence rate?
- Vale of York Academy's overall absence rate is 12.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Vale of York Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Vale of York Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.