71%
GCSE 9–4 · 2024/25
48%
GCSE 5+ · 2024/25
48.2
Attainment 8 · 2024/25
25%
EBacc entry · 2024/25
1463.8
EBacc APS · 2024/25
1,507
Pupils · 2024/25
5%
EAL · 2024/25
21%
Persistent abs. · 2024/25
Ofsted inspection
Good
Ofsted inspection · 24/01/2024
Inadequate
Requires improvement
Good
Outstanding
Local authorityCentral Bedfordshire
PhaseSecondary with sixth form with sixth form
School typeAcademy
Pupil : teacher ratio16.0:1
AdmissionsNon-selective
Religious characterNone
StatusOpen
Overview of Vandyke Upper School · Secondary with sixth form · Central Bedfordshire
Part ofVANDYKE UPPER SCHOOL
How does this school perform?
Key Stage 4 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
GCSE 9–4 incl. Eng & maths
71%
+8pp
75%69%63%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 71%
GCSE 5+ incl. Eng & maths
48%
+5pp
52%47%43%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 48%
Attainment 8
48.2
+3.5
50.647.744.7
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 48.2
EBacc entry
25%
+1pp
39%31%23%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 25%
EBacc APS
1463.8
+65.3
1574.61196.3818.0
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 1463.8
Sixth form
Key Stage 5 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
A-level APS
35.0
+2.6
35.033.031.1
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 35.0
A-level value added
-0.02
+0.2
+0.20.0-0.2
'17'18'19'24'25
'25 · 0.0
AAB+ in facilitating subjects
14%
+5pp
15%12%9%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 15%
Average A-level grade
C+
0
C+CC
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · C+
Pupils & context
2024/25
Pupils on roll
1,507
Pupil : teacher ratio
16.0
Workforce data · 2025/26
EAL
5%
FSM eligible
15%
SEN
10%
Overall absence
8%
Persistent absence
21%
Contact
Address
Vandyke Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3DY
Local authority
Central Bedfordshire
Telephone
Email
—
History
All years · Historical DfE data by academic year
Secondary — Key Stage 4
GCSE attainment and Progress 8 — how pupils progressed from KS2 to KS4.
| Year | GCSE 9–4 | GCSE 5+ | Attainment 8 | Progress 8 | EBacc entry | EBacc APS | EBacc lang entry | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 71% | 48% | 48.2 | Not applicable | 25% | 1463.8 | 25% | 1,507 |
| 2023/24 | 63% | 43% | 44.7 | +0.01 | 24% | 1398.5 | 24% | 1,509 |
| 2022/23 | 75% | 48% | 49.0 | +0.20 | 23% | 1574.6 | 23% | 1,503 |
| 2021/22 | 70% | 49% | 49.3 | +0.20 | 31% | 1328.8 | 31% | 1,436 |
| 2018/19 | 72% | 52% | 50.6 | +0.49 | 39% | 818.0 | 39% | 930 |
| 2017/18 | 68% | 45% | 49.2 | +0.28 | 40% | 967.0 | 40% | 902 |
| 2016/17 | 65% | 34% | 44.1 | -0.07 | 45% | — | 45% | 882 |
Sixth form — Key Stage 5
| Year | A-level APS | Avg grade | VA progress | AAB+ | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 35.0 | C+ | -0.02 | 14% | 238 |
| 2023/24 | 32.4 | C+ | -0.17 | 10% | 222 |
| 2022/23 | 31.1 | C | — | 12% | 182 |
| 2021/22 | 33.5 | C+ | — | 9% | 181 |
| 2018/19 | 33.4 | C+ | +0.20 | 14% | 109 |
| 2017/18 | 31.9 | C+ | +0.12 | 10% | 149 |
| 2016/17 | 29.6 | C | +0.07 | 5% | 122 |
Pupils & absence
| Year | Pupils | Pupil:teacher | SEN | EAL | FSM ever | Absence | Persistent absence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 1,507 | 17.0 | 10% | 5% | 15% | 8% | 21% |
| 2023/24 | 1,509 | 17.0 | 8% | 4% | 16% | 8% | 21% |
| 2022/23 | 1,503 | 17.1 | 7% | 4% | 14% | 8% | 21% |
| 2021/22 | 1,436 | 18.8 | 8% | 4% | 15% | 9% | 25% |
| 2020/21 | 1,293 | 18.4 | 8% | 3% | 12% | — | — |
| 2018/19 | 930 | 15.9 | 9% | 3% | 19% | 4% | 10% |
| 2017/18 | 902 | 15.2 | 10% | 3% | 19% | 5% | 11% |
| 2016/17 | 882 | 14.6 | 9% | 3% | 18% | 6% | 16% |
School performance data © Crown copyright. Source: Department for Education.