The Valley Leadership Academy
Academy sponsor led in Bacup, Lancashire.
School details
| Phase | Secondary |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy sponsor led |
| Age range | 11 to 16 |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Sixth form | Does not have a sixth form |
| Pupils on roll | 578 (school census 15-01-2026) |
| Capacity | 1050 |
| Free school meals | 41.90% |
| Trust or sponsor | STAR ACADEMIES |
| Local authority | Lancashire |
| Address | Fearns Moss, Bacup, Lancashire, OL13 0TG |
| Map | View on Google Maps |
| Website | https://www.thevalleyleadershipacademy.com/ |
| Telephone | 01706873896 |
| URN | 147018 |
Ofsted inspection
Latest full inspection: report card inspection under Ofsted's renewed framework (in use since November 2025), started 21 April 2026, published 7 June 2026. Report cards grade each area separately; there is no single overall grade.
| Safeguarding standards | Met |
|---|---|
| Inclusion | Expected standard |
| Curriculum and teaching | Needs attention |
| Achievement | Needs attention |
| Attendance and behaviour | Needs attention |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Expected standard |
| Leadership and governance | Expected standard |
Earlier graded inspection under the previous framework (Education Inspection Framework), started 19 September 2023, published 24 October 2023:
| Overall effectiveness | Requires improvement |
|---|---|
| Quality of education | Requires improvement |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Requires improvement |
| Personal development | Good |
| Leadership and management | Requires improvement |
| Safeguarding effective | Yes |
Read the Ofsted reports for this school
Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall effectiveness grades in September 2024 and introduced report cards from November 2025. Older grades are shown with their dates and may not reflect the school today.
Planning for university
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Nearby schools
- Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (secondary school, about 0.6 km)
- Alder Grange School (secondary school, about 3.2 km)
- All Saints' Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy (secondary school, about 4.4 km)
- Haslingden High School and Sixth Form (secondary school, about 5.4 km)
- Whitworth Community High School (secondary school, about 5.7 km)
- The Hollins (secondary school, about 8.9 km)
- Woodhey High School (secondary school, about 9.1 km)
- Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Hyndburn (secondary school, about 10.7 km)
Browse: Secondary schools in Lancashire
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. School data: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (downloaded 11 October 2026). Inspection data: Ofsted, state-funded schools inspections and outcomes management information (as at 31 August 2026). Last updated 2026-10-11.