New Mills School

New Mills School is a secondary comprehensive school that has improved since its previous inspection, when it was judged to require improvement. This graded inspection found the school good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Under the current inspection framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given. The school has a positive and caring environment where pupils are happy, feel safe and are well supported by staff. Pupils respond well to the school’s values, behave respectfully and achieve well across an ambitious curriculum, particularly in practical subjects such as media studies, engineering and art. The school has notable strengths in its curriculum, teaching and pastoral support. Leaders have made useful improvements, including better fieldwork opportunities and stronger language uptake at key stage 4. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported effectively through pupil passports, tailored provision and reading interventions. Safeguarding is effective, governors are committed, and staff feel well supported. Parents are generally positive about the school, and leaders have an accurate understanding of what needs to improve. There are still some areas to sharpen. Checking of pupils’ understanding is not consistently strong, which can leave some pupils unable to access the next stage of learning or consolidate what they have learned. Expectations for written work are not equally high in all subjects, and a few elements of personal development are less well embedded, including pupils’ understanding of similarities between different faiths. Overall, the school is performing well and is well placed to address these remaining inconsistencies.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and value positive relationships with trusted adults.
• Pastoral support is highly visible, caring and responsive to pupils’ concerns.
• The school’s values of ‘think big’, ‘do the right thing’ and ‘team spirit’ are well promoted.
• Pupils are respectful, behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.
• The curriculum is ambitious and rooted in the aims of the national curriculum.
• Pupils achieve well, particularly in practical subjects such as media studies, engineering and art.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively.
• Leaders have improved curriculum opportunities, including geography fieldwork and language uptake.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and resources are well matched to the curriculum.
• Pupil passports and 360 provision help pupils with additional needs engage successfully.
• Targeted reading interventions build pupils’ confidence and fluency.
• Pupils produce high-quality work in many subjects, including science and English.
• Behaviour routines are well understood and followed by the vast majority of pupils.
• R points and celebrations such as ‘star of the week’ motivate pupils positively.
• Pupils develop leadership skills and interests through roles and clubs.
• Careers provision is well planned and supports pupils to explore future pathways.
• Governors are committed and understand their statutory responsibilities.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and leaders consider workload and well-being.
• Leaders evaluate strengths and areas for development accurately.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Checking of pupils’ understanding is inconsistent, so some pupils cannot access what comes next or consolidate learning.
• Expectations for the quality of written work are not consistently high across all subjects.
• Some pupils do not present written work as clearly or accurately as they could.
• A few elements of personal development are not as well embedded or high quality as others.
• Some pupils struggle to explain similarities between people of different faiths.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at New Mills School attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.0% of pupils at New Mills School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 New Mills School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.0% of pupils at New Mills School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 New Mills School received £8,387 and spent £8,068 for each of its 692 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £160,000 (-£231 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in High Peak · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is New Mills School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for New Mills School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was New Mills School last inspected by Ofsted?

New Mills School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does New Mills School have?

New Mills School has 692 pupils on roll.

What age range does New Mills School cover?

New Mills School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are New Mills School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.5, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is New Mills School?

New Mills School is at Church Lane, New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK22 4NR.