Vandyke Upper School

Vandyke Upper School and Community College is an academy school and sixth form in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England. As of 2015, there are 700 students attending compulsory education with a further 240 students making up the sixth form.HistoryThe school was opened in 1976 as a comprehensive school for 13- to 18-year-olds.During the Ofsted inspection that took place in December 2006, Vandyke Upper School achieved a Grade 2 (Good) rating. The school was inspected again by Ofsted in 2013, the overall result being Grade 3 (Requires improvement). This was primarily attributed to unsatisfactory exam results and mixed quality of teaching.AchievementsFor several years Vandyke has been a participant of the Rock Challenge, a dance and drama event promoting healthy lifestyles amongst pupils. In 2005 Vandyke achieved Sports College status and was granted £114,000 from the Government's Big Lottery Fund in 2006, providing out of hours sporting activities. In 2007 the school was awarded the Government Charter Mark for excellence in customer service. Vandyke met 63 exacting standards of customer service to qualify for the award. The Government's Key performance indicator, a program that logs school's GCSE and Key Stage Two exam performances, has placed Vandyke's results in the top 25% of schools across the country. According to the log, 61 percent of Vandyke students attained A* to C grades in their GCSE's in 2007.