Park Vale Academy

School overview

Park Vale Academy is a secondary school serving Nottingham, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. It has 898 pupils aged 11 to 16 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Park Vale Academy 'Good'. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 42.8 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 1.2 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

37% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 58% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Park Vale Academy their first choice was offered one of its 186 Year 7 places. After Year 11, 80% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 11.9%. There are about 16.6 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 44% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. Given the recent dip in results, it may be worth asking the school what is behind the change and what is being done in response. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.