SchoolScoresIndependent school guide

Walton-Le-Dale High School

Academy · Secondary, ages 11 to 16 · Mixed

Part of ASPIRATIONAL FUTURES MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST

Brindle Road, Bamber Bridge, Preston, PR5 6RN

01772 335726 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedRequires improvementInspected 15 March 2022, before conversion
Grade 5 or above in English and maths23%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils688Room for 785
First-choice applications per place0.675 for 134 places, September 2026

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Requires improvement at the inspection that started on 15 March 2022. This inspection was of the school before it changed to its current form (for example, before becoming an academy).

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationRequires improvement
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementGood
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

146 pupils in this year group.

23% — 21 points below the Lancashire average, and 23 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 23% 44% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 33.1 45.1 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 2.9 4.0 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 29%This school 2024/25: 23% This school England 45% 2022/23 29% 2023/24 – 2024/25 23%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

157 pupils in this year group.

These results were published under the school's previous registration (URN 119743), before it changed to its current form.

83% — 9 points below the Lancashire average, and 10 points below the England average.

Where pupils went after Year 11
This school 10%62%16%
England 36%13%35%
MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 83% 92% 93%
School sixth form 0% 12% 36%
Sixth form college 10% 20% 13%
Further education college 62% 49% 35%
Apprenticeship 5% 6% 3%
Work 5% 5% 4%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2023/24 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Lancashire. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

How hard is it to get in?

For the September 2026 intake there were fewer first-choice applications than places.

Places offered134
Families who put it first75
Of those, offered a place75 (100%)
Families who listed it at all256

First-choice applications per place: 2024: 0.5 · 2025: 0.5 · 2026: 0.6

This isn't your chance of getting a place. That depends on the school's admissions rules (for example siblings, distance or faith) and where you live. Source: DfE applications and offers, September 2026 intake.

Admissions dates and schools in Lancashire

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolLancashireEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years
 36.5% 26.4%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan
 4.1% 2.5%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support
 15.7% 13.2%* 13.4%
English as an additional language
 12.3% 12.2%* 19.2%
Overall absence (sessions missed)
 12.5% 8.3%* 8.4%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more)
 39.2% 22.8%* 23.4%
Suspensions per 100 pupils
 120.2 21.6 21.2
Pupils suspended at least once
 27.5% 8.1% 7.3%
Pupils permanently excluded20 pupils 2.72% 0.53% 0.23%
Pupils per teacher
 15.7 16.7 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff)
 10.6 11.6 11.8
Teachers who left during the year
 13.2% 12.5%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Walton-Le-Dale High School's Ofsted rating?

Walton-Le-Dale High School was rated Requires improvement by Ofsted at its inspection in 15 March 2022.

How did Walton-Le-Dale High School do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 23% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 23 points below the England average of 45%.

Is Walton-Le-Dale High School oversubscribed?

For the September 2026 intake, 75 families put Walton-Le-Dale High School as their first choice for 134 places: fewer first-choice applications than places. 75 of those families were offered a place. Whether you get a place depends on the school's admissions rules and where you live.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.