School profile

Valley Road Academy

Primary · Academy converter · Sunderland, SR2 8PL

Good

Map showing Valley Road Academy

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#918 of 15,057

Better than 93% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Valley Road Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 14 May 2013

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages2 to 11
Pupils344
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Rebekah Bowman
TrustIRIS LEARNING TRUST
Local authoritySunderland
Opened01 Jun 2018
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 144221.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolSunderlandEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths85%, better than England, better than Sunderland66%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.15%, better than England, better than Sunderland11%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.109, better than England, better than Sunderland106106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.108, better than England, better than Sunderland105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.109, better than England, better than Sunderland106105
Expected standard in reading89%, better than England, better than Sunderland77%76%
Expected standard in writing85%, better than England, better than Sunderland75%73%
Expected standard in maths87%, better than England, better than Sunderland77%75%
Pupils taking tests46--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils344
Girls181
Boys163
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.34%
First language not English24.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.299
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.28.8%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.93
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.7
Average class size20.4

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

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
41.9%
African
34.6%
Bangladeshi
7.8%
Pakistani
3.2%
Other Asian
2.9%
Other mixed
2%
Other ethnic group
1.7%
Other White
1.5%
Other Black
1.5%
Indian
0.9%

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

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher18.6
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.8
Teachers (FTE)17.3
Teaching assistants (FTE)11.52
Support staff (FTE)25.69
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2518.3
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2517.3
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

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

Admissions

2026/27

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 (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.34
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.47
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.34
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.34
Applications from another local authority (Reception)1

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

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSunderlandEngland
Overall absence4.5%, better than England, better than Sunderland5.2%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.15.8%, worse than England, similar to Sunderland14.2%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.3%, better than England, better than Sunderland0.9%1%

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

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0.3%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.3%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 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 Valley Road Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.5 miSecondarySouthmoor AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.5 miPrimaryGrangetown Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryHudson Road Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miNot applicableHopespring SunderlandOther independent school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryHill View Junior AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miSecondarySt Aidan's Catholic AcademyAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.9 miNot applicableArgyle House SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.9 miSecondaryThornhill AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.9 miSecondarySt Anthony's Girls' Catholic AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miPrimaryHill View Infant AcademyAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Valley Road Academy

What is Valley Road Academy's Ofsted rating?

Valley Road Academy is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 14 May 2013.

How does Valley Road Academy rank in England?

Valley Road Academy ranks 918 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 93% of schools).

What are Valley Road Academy's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 85% of pupils at Valley Road Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Valley Road Academy?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Valley Road Academy made 34 offers from 47 applications (1.4 per offer), and 34 of 34 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Valley Road Academy?

Valley Road Academy has 344 pupils aged 2 to 11.

What is the capacity of Valley Road Academy?

Valley Road Academy had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Valley Road Academy?

At Valley Road Academy, the average class had 20.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 18.6 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Valley Road Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Valley Road Academy missed 4.5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 15.8% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

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.