Belper School and Sixth Form Centre

About Belper School and Sixth Form Centre

Ofsted's Parent View responses for Belper School and Sixth Form Centre, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, show that 85% of the 137 parents who responded would recommend the school. That's a solid vote of confidence, and it's backed up by some notably strong individual scores: 89% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 89% felt their child is safe. The school is also clearly popular locally — for the 2025/26 intake it was oversubscribed, with 277 applications for 190 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.46. Of those, 186 families put Belper as their first preference, and all first-preference applicants received an offer. Parents also gave high marks for the range of subjects available (92% agreement) and the clubs and activities on offer (90% agreement), suggesting that beyond the core academic offer, families feel there's plenty to keep children engaged.

Academically, the picture is more mixed. Belper's Progress 8 score for 2023/24 was -0.31, which is below the Derbyshire local authority average of -0.11 and places the school in the bottom 50 nationally on this measure. Within Amber Valley, it ranks 5th out of 8 schools, and across the East Midlands it sits at the 188th percentile out of 273. The Attainment 8 score was 45.2, and 47.1% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. At A-level, the picture is similar: the value-added score was -0.24, with a points per entry of 26.87 (equivalent to a C- grade), and the progress banding is rated 'Below average'. That said, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2025 judged all key areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — as Good, a clear upgrade from the Requires Improvement rating it received in its previous inspection in November 2022.

Belper School is a large secondary, with 1,186 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,402, and it has a dedicated sixth form. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, science labs, music rooms, and a library. There are plenty of extracurricular options, from rowing and netball to chess, debating, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for ten different categories, including dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, and speech, language and communication needs. 28% of parents who responded to the Parent View survey said their child has SEND, and 74% of those agreed the school gives them the support they need. With 20.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a broadly representative catchment. It's a good fit for families who value a strong sense of safety and happiness, a wide range of activities, and a school that has demonstrably improved its Ofsted rating, even if its academic outcomes currently sit below the local average.

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