The Dean Academy is a mixed secondary academy in Lydney, Gloucestershire County Council, teaching 816 pupils aged 11 to 16. Ofsted graded achievement as Needs attention at its most recent inspection in January 2026. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 43.1 (England 46.1). Term dates and holidays for 2025–2026 are listed below.

Ofsted inspection

The latest published Ofsted judgement for The Dean Academy.

Latest inspection
2025 framework Graded by evaluation area
AchievementNeeds attention
Curriculum & teachingNeeds attention
Attendance & behaviourExpected standard
Personal development & wellbeingExpected standard
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership & governanceExpected standard
Safeguarding Met
S5 Inspection · Inspected 27 Jan 2026 · Published 23 Mar 2026
Read full Ofsted report ↗

Scale: Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Term dates & holidays 2025–2026

Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for The Dean Academy.

The Dean Academy term dates calendar 2025–2026
Official term-dates calendar · 2025–2026 · source

Key dates (2025–2026)

  • Autumn Term Starts Tuesday 2 September 2025 Term
  • Autumn Term Ends Wednesday 22 October 2025 Term
  • Autumn Half Term Thursday 23 October 2025 - Friday 31 October 2025 Holiday
  • Spring Term Starts Monday 3 November 2025 Term
  • Spring Term Ends Friday 19 December 2025 Term
  • Christmas Holiday Monday 22 December 2025 - Friday 2 January 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Term Starts Monday 23 February 2026 Term
  • Spring Half Term Monday 16 February 2026 - Friday 20 February 2026 Holiday
  • Easter Holiday Monday 30 March 2026 - Friday 10 April 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Half Term Monday 25 May 2026 - Friday 29 May 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Term Ends Tuesday 21 July 2026 Term
  • Summer Holiday Wednesday 22 July 2026 - Monday 31 August 2026 Holiday
  • New Year's Day (Bank Holiday) Thursday 1 January 2026 Holiday
  • Good Friday (Bank Holiday) Friday 3 April 2026 Holiday
  • Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) Monday 6 April 2026 Holiday
  • Early May Bank Holiday Monday 4 May 2026 Holiday
  • Spring Bank Holiday Monday 25 May 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Bank Holiday Monday 31 August 2026 Holiday
  • Christmas Day (Bank Holiday) Friday 25 December 2025 Holiday
  • Boxing Day (Bank Holiday) Friday 26 December 2025 Holiday

Exam results & performance

DfE performance tables Official results, 2024–2025 GOV.UK ↗
43.1 Attainment 8 England 46.1
32.2% Grade 5+ English & maths England 45.4%
24.9% Persistent absence England 17.8%

The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare The Dean Academy with Gloucestershire County Council and England.

Key stage 4 (GCSE) 43.1 Attainment 8 score

Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.

This school Gloucestershire County Council England

Attainment 8 score · Average across 8 GCSEs, out of 90 43.1
Gloucestershire County Council 50.3 England 46.1 -3 vs England
Grade 5+ in English & maths · A strong pass 32.2%
Gloucestershire County Council 53.1% England 45.4% -13.2 vs England
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils 34.3
Gloucestershire County Council 34.6 England 34.9 in line with England
Disadvantage gap · Attainment 8 points; smaller is better 12.7
Gloucestershire County Council 19.4 England 15.5 -2.8 vs England
Disadvantaged pupils in the year group · Context for the scores above 31.1%
Gloucestershire County Council 19% England 28.2%
Pupils in the year group · Small cohorts swing wildly 90
Attendance 24.9% Persistently absent pupils

Absence across the whole school year.

This school Gloucestershire County Council England

Persistently absent pupils · Missed 10%+ of sessions; lower is better 24.9%
Gloucestershire County Council 16.8% England 17.8% +7.1 vs England
Overall absence · Lower is better 8.3%
Gloucestershire County Council 6.7% England 6.8% +1.6 vs England
What pupils do after GCSEs 89% In education, apprenticeship or work

Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.

This school Gloucestershire County Council England

In education, apprenticeship or work 89%
Gloucestershire County Council 93% England 92% -3 vs England
Same, for disadvantaged pupils 78%
Gloucestershire County Council 82% England 83% -5 vs England
About this data source & caveats

Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.

We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.

Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for The Dean Academy. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.

Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Location & catchment area

Indicative catchment Other secondary schools

Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to The Dean Academy than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.