Lees Brook Academy

Lees Brook Academy has made significant strides since its previous inspection, improving from a requires improvement rating to good across all key areas of education, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. The school benefits from a supportive leadership team and operates within the Archway Learning Trust, which has played a vital role in its development. While pupils generally exhibit positive behaviour and relationships with staff, there are concerns regarding the consistency of teaching effectiveness in ensuring all pupils fully engage with their learning.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil behaviour
• Inclusive and caring environment
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils
• Strong curriculum planning and delivery
• Effective prioritization of reading support
• Wide range of extracurricular activities
• Strong support for students in the sixth form

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not check pupils' understanding consistently
• Inconsistent completion of work by some pupils

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 Lees Brook Academy attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.7% 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, 7.1% of pupils at Lees Brook Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Lees Brook Academy had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% 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, 17.2% of pupils at Lees Brook Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.1% 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 Lees Brook Academy received £8,530 and spent £8,958 for each of its 1,103 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £269,000 (£244 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Archway Learning Trust, income was £8,859 and spending £8,904 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 Derby · Derby local authority: places and applications

Lees Brook Academy is part of Archway Learning Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Alvaston Moor Academy Derby
• The Long Eaton School Nottingham
• St John's CofE Primary School Nottingham
• Bluecoat Primary Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Beechdale Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Wollaton Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Aspley Academy Nottingham
• Bluecoat Bentinck Primary Academy Nottingham
• The Nottingham Emmanuel School West Bridgford
• Bluecoat Trent Academy Nottingham

What is Lees Brook Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lees Brook Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was Lees Brook Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Lees Brook Academy was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does Lees Brook Academy have?

Lees Brook Academy has 1,061 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lees Brook Academy cover?

Lees Brook Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Lees Brook Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.0, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Lees Brook Academy?

Lees Brook Academy is at Morley Road, Chaddesden, Derby, Derbyshire, DE21 4QX.