Forge Valley School & Sixth Form

Sheffield · S6 5HG

General information Secondary School · 11-19 years Who goes here 1494 pupils, 27.4% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN SEN unit + resourced provision · 7% on SEN support Behaviour 9.3% absence rate Staff 9.3% turnover Financials £7,071 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Forge Valley School & Sixth Form

General Information

Address: Wood Lane, Sheffield, S6 5HG – View on map
Phone: 01142348805
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Dale Barrowclough
Age range: 11-19 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 274 families put it first for 268 places – 10 for every 10 places. 95% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 13 · 2024 11 · 2025 12 · 2026 10
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1494 pupils out of 1350 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 342
% eligible for free school meals: 27.4%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (less mixed than the Sheffield average)
English as an additional language: 9% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 9.3% a year (Sheffield 15.8%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 41% moved to another school, 59% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Sheffield: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 63 (1.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 3
Suspensions for bullying: 82 (2.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 36 (1.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Sheffield, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 9.3%
Persistently absent pupils: 23.1%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

SEN unit for AutismSpeech, language and communicationSocial, emotional and mental healthModerate learning difficultiesSevere learning difficultiesSpecific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)Hearing impairmentVisual impairmentMulti-sensory impairmentPhysical disability 200 places · 180 pupils at the last count
Resourced provision for AutismSpeech, language and communicationSocial, emotional and mental healthModerate learning difficultiesSevere learning difficultiesSpecific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)Hearing impairmentVisual impairmentMulti-sensory impairmentPhysical disability 20 places · 25 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 7.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Autistic spectrum disorder: 30 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 27 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 19 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 13 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 28 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 13 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Severe learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 3 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 46.6
Compared with the area: 1.0 points above the Sheffield average (45.6)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (−0.3 points against an expected 46.9)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 70% (Sheffield 64%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolSheffield averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 1.0 points above the Sheffield average (45.6).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

11th of 28 secondary schools in Sheffield for Attainment 8

#9Bradfield Secondary School49.2
#10Newfield Secondary School47.9
#11Forge Valley School & Sixth Form46.6
#12Meadowhead School Academy Trust46.0
#13Astrea Academy Sheffield45.4

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Mercia School68.1
#2High Storrs School61.0
#3Tapton School & Sixth Form58.0
#4Silverdale School56.7
#5King Ecgbert School56.1
#6Notre Dame High School52.8
#7King Edward VII School50.8
#8All Saints' Catholic High School49.9
#9Bradfield Secondary School49.2
#10Newfield Secondary School47.9
#11Forge Valley School & Sixth Form46.6
#12Meadowhead School Academy Trust46.0
#13Astrea Academy Sheffield45.4
#14UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park44.0
#15Ecclesfield School41.5
#16Westfield School41.5
#17Hinde House 2-16 Academy41.1
#18Outwood Academy City40.4
#19Stocksbridge High School39.5
#20UTC Sheffield City Centre39.0
#21Sheffield Springs Academy38.9
#22Yewlands Academy37.3
#23The Birley Academy37.2
#24Oasis Academy Don Valley36.8
#25Handsworth Grange Community Sports College36.6
#26E-Act Parkwood Academy36.5
#27Sheffield Park Academy35.1
#28Lift Firth Park32.7

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 92.0%
Went into further education: 84.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Religious Studies
Science Double Award
Geography
History
Spanish
Chemistry (General)
Biology
Physics (General)
Business Studies
D & T
Computer Science
Art & Design
Music Studies (General)
Italian
Chinese
Arabic
French Language
Statistics

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

5th of 14 secondary schools in Sheffield for Ofsted rating

#3E-Act Parkwood AcademyGood
#4Ecclesfield SchoolGood
#5Forge Valley School & Sixth FormGood
#6High Storrs SchoolGood
#7King Edward VII SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Mercia SchoolOutstanding
#2Astrea Academy SheffieldGood
#3E-Act Parkwood AcademyGood
#4Ecclesfield SchoolGood
#5Forge Valley School & Sixth FormGood
#6High Storrs SchoolGood
#7King Edward VII SchoolGood
#8Lift Firth ParkGood
#9Meadowhead School Academy TrustGood
#10Newfield Secondary SchoolGood
#11Notre Dame High SchoolGood
#12Sheffield Park AcademyGood
#13Silverdale SchoolGood
#14UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy ParkGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,071 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

22nd of 29 secondary schools in Sheffield for spending per pupil

#20E-Act Parkwood Academy£7,243
#21Notre Dame High School£7,188
#22Forge Valley School & Sixth Form£7,071
#23King Ecgbert School£7,069
#24Tapton School & Sixth Form£7,005

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Sheffield Springs Academy£8,592
#2Sheffield Park Academy£8,444
#3Newfield Secondary School£8,416
#4Silverdale School£8,313
#5King Edward VII School£8,216
#6Hinde House 2-16 Academy£8,110
#7Handsworth Grange Community Sports College£8,098
#8Lift Firth Park£7,942
#9Yewlands Academy£7,823
#10Meadowhead School Academy Trust£7,819
#11Bradfield Secondary School£7,814
#12Astrea Academy Sheffield£7,730
#13Stocksbridge High School£7,647
#14All Saints' Catholic High School£7,629
#15The Birley Academy£7,570
#16Outwood Academy City£7,517
#17UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park£7,481
#18Ecclesfield School£7,467
#19Westfield School£7,374
#20E-Act Parkwood Academy£7,243
#21Notre Dame High School£7,188
#22Forge Valley School & Sixth Form£7,071
#23King Ecgbert School£7,069
#24Tapton School & Sixth Form£7,005
#25UTC Sheffield City Centre£6,980
#26Mercia School£6,677
#27Oasis Academy Don Valley£6,565
#28High Storrs School£6,283
#29Fir Vale Academy£1,886

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Sheffield: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered