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Valentines High School

Secondary · Ilford · IG2 6HX

Data updated

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Exceptional

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Strong standardAchievement: ExceptionalAttendance & behaviour: ExceptionalPersonal development: Strong standardInclusion: ExceptionalLeadership & governance: ExceptionalEarly years: Not applicablePost-16: Strong standard

Inspected 17 March 2026 · report published 11 May 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,357 pupils · 105% of 1,288 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Community school
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
29.1% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
43.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
5.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
4.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.valentines-sch.org.uk/
URN
102857

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 280 families named it first for 171 Year 7 places, 1.64 first choices per place. Its last Year 7 place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 1.15 miles; distance decided places in 7 of the 7 years of Year 7 rounds we hold, 2018 to 2026. At its report-card inspection on 17 March 2026, under the system Ofsted introduced in November 2025, the Achievement area was judged Exceptional. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.64 first-choice applications per place

171 places offered · 280 first-choice applications · heavily oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 1.15 miles for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 1.15 miles

measurement method not stated by the council.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

168 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
59.3
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
84.5%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
76.2%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
5.5
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) B-
36.2
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school59.3
Median of its 12 closest peers56.1
Redbridge average55
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
William Perkin Church of England High SchoolGreenford · 18 miles awayOutstanding62.5
Ada Lovelace Church of England High SchoolLondon · 16 miles awayOutstanding64.4
Wexham SchoolSlough · 28 miles awayGood39.3
Woodmansterne SchoolLondon · 14 miles awayGood49.3
Tolworth Girls' School and Sixth FormSurbiton · 21 miles awayOutstanding57.5
Mill Hill County High SchoolLondon · 14 miles awayStrong standard61.2
The London Oratory SchoolLondon · 13 miles awayOutstanding62.3
Holy Family Catholic SchoolLondon · 3 miles awayGood45.5
Northwood SchoolNorthwood · 20 miles awayOutstanding (2018)58.4
Heston Community SchoolHounslow · 20 miles awayGood49.6
The Westgate SchoolSlough · 30 miles awayGood40.6
Claremont High SchoolHarrow · 16 miles awayOutstanding54.8

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

Asian Pakistani 27% (Redbridge 21%, England 5%) · Asian Bangladeshi 26% (Redbridge 16%, England 2%) · Asian Indian 15% (Redbridge 16%, England 4%) · Any other Asian background 9% (Redbridge 8%, England 3%) · Any other White background 7% (Redbridge 9%, England 7%) · Black African 4% (Redbridge 6%, England 5%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Redbridge 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Redbridge 2%, England 2%) · White British 2% (Redbridge 9%, England 59%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Redbridge 2%, England 3%) · Asian Chinese 1% (Redbridge 1%, England 1%) · Any other Black background 1% (Redbridge 1%, England 1%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Redbridge 2%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Redbridge 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Redbridge 1%, England 2%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
5.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
13.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

5.12 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Redbridge: 6.39 suspensions and 0.08 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
20.8
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 5% moved to another state school · 5% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained secondaries: 0.22% vacant, 0.42% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

57.7% of teachers took sickness absence, 6 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £53,132; 11.8% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£8,054
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 81% (77%) · premises 4% (6%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 6% (7%) · supplies and services 9% (10%) · educational supplies 6% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (2%) · catering 1% (3%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £452,949; in-year balance -£75,938

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
97%
Continuing in education
96%
Apprenticeship
1%
Employment
1%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
80%
Apprenticeship
3%
Employment
5%
Any sustained destination
88%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
5/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
5/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher49.3%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications17.4%18.1%
In managerial or professional work35.2%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways16.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health49.6%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier42.1%62.3%
Social housing9.5%17.1%
Privately rented48.1%20.5%
Detached houses4.8%22.9%
Flats60.3%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms24.4%21.1%
Households with no car or van43.3%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01003690 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£560,000318 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£352,500–£670,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (5)£800,000
Semi-detached (53)£665,000
Terraced (178)£586,000
Flat (82)£230,000

Homes around this school are among the dearest tenth of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
8an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
20an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
143an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
21an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools