Belper School and Sixth Form Centre

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is a good school across all inspected areas, having improved from its previous requires-improvement grade. Inspectors found a calm, respectful and aspirational culture, strong pastoral care, high expectations of behaviour, and a broad extra-curricular offer that pupils value; safeguarding is effective and the sixth form is consistently well taught. Curriculum ambition and implementation have improved, particularly in English and mathematics, and reading support is a clear strength. Staff identify and advocate well for pupils with SEND, careers guidance and mental-health support are strong, and governors and staff feel well led. However, provision is not yet consistently adapted in some wider-curriculum subjects for pupils with SEND and high-attaining pupils, including high-attaining disadvantaged pupils, so some do not achieve as well as they could. Attendance has improved but some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, still miss too much school. Published examination results have not always been strong enough, although achievement is rising. The school is a foundation secondary with a sixth form, and the headteacher took up post in September 2024.

Strengths

• Mutual respect and trust between pupils, sixth-form students and staff are strong.
• Pastoral support and care are strong.
• Staff have high expectations of behaviour, and low-level disruption is rare.
• There is a calm and productive atmosphere around school.
• The school is aspirational for all pupils, including pupils with SEND.
• Pupils have extensive extra-curricular opportunities, including sports, music, theatre and gardening.
• Curriculum changes have raised ambition and improved pupils’ preparation for next steps.
• Curriculum implementation is particularly strong in English and mathematics.
• Staff swiftly identify the needs of pupils with SEND and advocate fiercely for them.
• Reading is prioritised, with effective support and strong sixth-form buddy-reader support.
• High-quality professional development has improved pupils’ oracy and confidence with complex language.
• Careers advice and guidance are high quality, especially in the sixth form.
• Mental health and well-being support is a strength.
• Personal, social and health education is well planned and consistently delivered.
• Governors have strong knowledge, expertise and commitment.
• Staff feel well led and appreciate leaders’ consideration of work-life balance.

Areas for Improvement

• In some wider-curriculum lessons, learning is not routinely adapted for pupils with SEND and high-attaining pupils, including high-attaining disadvantaged pupils.
• Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school regularly enough and miss too much learning and wider opportunities.
• Some pupils with SEND and high-attaining disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they could because provision is not consistently adapted.
• Published examination results have not always been strong enough, although achievement is improving.

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 Belper School and Sixth Form Centre attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.4% 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, 5.4% of pupils at Belper School and Sixth Form Centre 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 Belper School and Sixth Form Centre had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.4% 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, 7.2% of pupils at Belper School and Sixth Form Centre were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.5% 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 Belper School and Sixth Form Centre received £7,536 and spent £7,683 for each of its 1,212 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £46,000 (-£38 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 Belper · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Belper School and Sixth Form Centre's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Belper School and Sixth Form Centre last inspected by Ofsted?

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Belper School and Sixth Form Centre have?

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre has 1,212 pupils on roll.

What age range does Belper School and Sixth Form Centre cover?

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Belper School and Sixth Form Centre's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.3, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Belper School and Sixth Form Centre?

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is at John O'Gaunts Way, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 0DA.