Vandyke Upper School
Vandyke Road, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3DY
1,517 pupils · 105% of 1,440 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 13–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- VANDYKE UPPER SCHOOL
- Local authority
- Central Bedfordshire
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 16.6%
Ofsted
Good (2024) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 24 January 2024, published 6 March 2024. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 48.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 48% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 71% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 24.7% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.15 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2025 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2025 entry | 343 | 395 | 533 | 343 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 329 | 397 | 500 | 329 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 337 | 380 | 440 | 337 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 334 | 349 | 422 | 334 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 355 | 383 | 460 | 355 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 336 | 343 | 407 | 336 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 297 | 299 | 387 | 297 |
| Sept 2018 entry | 229 | 225 | 310 | 229 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Cedars Upper School 3 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- The Cottesloe School 6.5 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Lift Sir Herbert Leon 8.2 km · No overall grade (2024)
- All Saints Academy Dunstable 8.7 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Queensbury Academy 9.7 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Fulbrook School 9.8 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.