School profile

Vandyke Upper School

Secondary · Academy converter · Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3DY

Good

Map showing Vandyke Upper School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#1,370 of 3,312

Similar to most schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

A-level 2024/25

#1,071 of 2,536

Similar to most schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Vandyke Upper School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 10 Mar 2015

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages13 to 18
Pupils1,517 of 1,440 places
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMrs Leah Ferguson-Moore
TrustVANDYKE UPPER SCHOOL
Local authorityCentral Bedfordshire
Opened01 Aug 2011
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 137169.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Attainment 8 score47.643.246.2
Grade 4 or above in English and maths67.8%61.7%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths45.8%41.2%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths12.8%10%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths61.7%55.5%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4345--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Average points per A-level entry34.9632.6835
Average A-level gradeC+--
Average points, best three A-levels36.9834.2535.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsB---
AAB or better14.5%14.4%17.5%
A-level progress score-0.02--
A-level progressAverage--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study238--
Average applied general gradeDist--

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils1,517
Girls757
Boys760
Eligible for free school meals14.2%
First language not English6.9%
SEN support180
EHC plan70
Average class size18.8

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Pupils ethnicity

White British
75.5%
Other White
5.9%
Other mixed
2%
White and Black Caribbean
1.7%
White and Black African
1.6%
White and Asian
1.6%
African
0.9%
Caribbean
0.7%
Indian
0.6%
Other Asian
0.6%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed. Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means missing 50% or more.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Overall absence6.8%7.2%8%
Persistent absence16.4%18.7%21.6%
Severe absence2.1%3%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Admissions

2025/26

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 9)343
Applications (Year 9)533
First preference applications (Year 9)395
First preference offers (Year 9)343
Applications from another local authority (Year 9)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Capacity

2024/25
MeasureThis school
School places1,440
Pupils on roll1,488
Unfilled places0%
Sixth form places360
Sixth form pupils on roll403

Source: DfE, School capacity, Academic year 2024/25, published 19 Mar 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher15.6
Pupils per adult10
Teachers (FTE)97.36
Teaching assistants (FTE)26.25
Support staff (FTE)82.58
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2592.2
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2583.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/254.8
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/254.2

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25
MeasureThis school
Suspension rate14.8%
Pupils with one or more suspensions5.8%
Permanent exclusion rate0.5%
Permanent exclusions7

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destination89.2%
Staying in education84.5%
School sixth form43.6%
Further education40.3%
Not sustained6.6%
Apprenticeship3%
Employment1.7%
Sixth form college0.3%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destination87.1%
Higher education48.3%
Employment29.2%
Not sustained9.6%
Apprenticeship8.6%
Further education0.5%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Vandyke Upper School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miMiddle deemed secondaryGilbert Inglefield AcademyAcademy converter
Inadequate
0.4 miPrimaryBeaudesert Lower SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.5 miPrimaryThe Rushmere Park AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryHeathwood Lower SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryDovery AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Outstanding
0.8 miMiddle deemed secondaryBrooklands Middle SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryClipstone Brook Lower SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.9 miPrimaryLeedon Lower SchoolCommunity school
Inadequate
1.1 miPrimaryThe Mary Bassett Lower SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.2 miMiddle deemed secondaryLeighton Middle SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Vandyke Upper School

What is Vandyke Upper School's Ofsted rating?

Vandyke Upper School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 10 Mar 2015.

How does Vandyke Upper School rank in England?

Vandyke Upper School ranks 1,370 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (similar to most schools) and 1,071 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (similar to most schools).

How many pupils attend Vandyke Upper School?

Vandyke Upper School has 1,517 pupils aged 13 to 18, with capacity for 1,440.

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.