Aldercar High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 648 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.9
Foundation school
Belper School and Sixth Form Centre
- Pupils on roll
- 1,212of 1,402 places
- Free school meals
- 25.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 207
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 20 May 2025Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 200 pupils who finished Year 11 at Belper School and Sixth Form Centre in 2023, 35% stayed on in Belper School and Sixth Form Centre’s own sixth form (Derbyshire average 34%), 45% went to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 81 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 47% went to university (Derbyshire 42%, England 37%), and 15% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 14% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 25% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 44.3 against 46.1 across England and 45.0 in Derbyshire, with 44% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Derbyshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 200 | 7,796 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 85% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 35% | 34% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 5% | 5% | 13% |
| — further education college | 45% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 81 | 3,774 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 85% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 47% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 15% | 21% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 14% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 31% | 27% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 11% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.3 | 45.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 44% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 70% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 42% | 30% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.96 | 3.92 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 17% | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 31.3 | 34.0 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.9 | 49.2 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 1% | 4% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 205 | 99% | 89% | 12% | 20% | 72% |
| Mathematics | 204 | 99% | 88% | 12% | 22% | 75% |
| English Literature | 198 | 96% | 86% | 11% | 21% | 76% |
| Combined Science | 167 | 81% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 62% |
| History | 121 | 58% | 41% | 10% | 26% | 59% |
| Geography | 77 | 37% | 41% | 12% | 25% | 62% |
| Business Studies | 66 | 32% | 18% | 6% | 20% | 55% |
| Design and Technology | 57 | 28% | 11% | 11% | 23% | 51% |
| Photography | 51 | 25% | 6% | 14% | 19% | 73% |
| French | 51 | 25% | 18% | 22% | 29% | 84% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 46 | 22% | 8% | 26% | 21% | 78% |
| German | 35 | 17% | 5% | 34% | 33% | 91% |
| Fine Art | 33 | 16% | 9% | 21% | 28% | 73% |
| Media Studies | 33 | 16% | 4% | 12% | 20% | 64% |
| Physics | 30 | 14% | 23% | 13% | 46% | 80% |
| Biology | 29 | 14% | 23% | 31% | 45% | 90% |
| Chemistry | 29 | 14% | 23% | 21% | 47% | 86% |
| Physical Education | 26 | 13% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 73% |
| Drama | 20 | 10% | 7% | 5% | 27% | 65% |
| Computer Science | 19 | 9% | 13% | 32% | 30% | 74% |
| Graphic Communication | 19 | 9% | 1% | 0% | 23% | 32% |
| Textiles | 16 | 8% | 2% | 6% | 27% | 56% |
| Music | 15 | 7% | 5% | 13% | 33% | 27% |
| Film Studies | 8 | 4% | 1% | 38% | 20% | 100% |
| Spanish | 1 | 0% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 32 | 44% | — |
| Music Technology (Electronic) | 9 | 13% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 147 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 72 | 2,363 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.53 | 32.99 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 8% | 16% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 20 | 28% | 23% |
| Geography | 18 | 25% | 10% |
| History | 16 | 22% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 14 | 19% | 13% |
| English Language | 13 | 18% | 4% |
| Biology | 13 | 18% | 20% |
| Politics | 13 | 18% | 6% |
| Mathematics | 13 | 18% | 31% |
| English Literature | 12 | 17% | 11% |
| Sociology | 9 | 13% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 6 | 8% | 17% |
| Physical Education | 6 | 8% | 3% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Graphic Communication | — | — | 2% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| 3D Design | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 23 | 32% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 18 | 25% | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 17 | 24% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 6 | 8% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Derbyshire
Anthony Gell School
Academy converter · sixth form · 776 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.8
Brookfield Community School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,156 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.8
Buxton Community School
Academy converter · sixth form · 954 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.6
Chapel-en-le-Frith High School
Community school · 941 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.8
David Nieper Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 810 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.0
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.