David Nieper Academy

David Nieper Academy has made significant progress since its last inspection, moving from a grade of requires improvement to good across all assessed areas. The school is characterized by a positive ethos where pupils feel safe and are proud to attend. The curriculum is ambitious, providing a broad range of subjects that equip students with essential skills for life and work. Strong pastoral care and clear behavioral expectations contribute to a supportive learning environment, although there are some challenges with attendance and the consistency of curriculum delivery in certain subjects.

Strengths

• Ambitious curriculum designed to equip pupils for work and life
• Strong pastoral care and positive behavior expectations
• High-quality support for vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND
• Effective careers education and employability focus
• Strong leadership and governance
• Engagement in extracurricular activities and community involvement

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent delivery of the curriculum in some subjects
• Inconsistent implementation of the PSHCE curriculum

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 David Nieper Academy attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.4% 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, 7.7% of pupils at David Nieper Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 David Nieper Academy had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.4% 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, 14.3% of pupils at David Nieper Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.2% 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 2024–25 David Nieper Academy received £8,729 and spent £8,448 for each of its 811 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,126,000 (£1,388 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Christopher Nieper Education Trust, income was £7,977 and spending £7,703 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Alfreton · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

David Nieper Academy is part of Christopher Nieper Education Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Shirland Primary School Alfreton
• Stonebroom Primary and Nursery School Alfreton
• Mickley Village Primary and Nursery School Alfreton

What is David Nieper Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for David Nieper Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was David Nieper Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

David Nieper Academy was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does David Nieper Academy have?

David Nieper Academy has 810 pupils on roll.

What age range does David Nieper Academy cover?

David Nieper Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are David Nieper Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.2, and 36% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is David Nieper Academy?

David Nieper Academy is at Grange Street, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7JA.