New Direction

Other independent special school · Mixed · ages 11–18Derbyshire, Chesterfield S43school website

A special school in Derbyshire for ages 11–18: the Department for Education has not published destination figures for it, so this page relies on the school’s own results and subjects.

Ofsted
—
Places
—
Pupils
34

Ofsted: Not covered by Ofsted school inspections. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Derbyshire’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 30 places.

GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

4.7Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school4.7
Derbyshire45.0
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 9 pupils in Year 11

0% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Derbyshire 43%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureNew DirectionDerbyshireEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)4.745.046.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths0%43%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths0%65%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects0%30%41%
EBacc average point score0.263.924.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort—28%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils—34.034.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils—49.250.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language—4%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

23.04%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Language & Communication16%
Arts & Humanities7%
Social & Cultural Skills0%
Mathematics & Statistics0%
Natural Sciences0%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects2

Entries 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.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Literature667%86%0%21%33%
English Language556%89%—20%—
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Language & Communication34%
Natural Sciences19%
Green & Sustainability18%
Health & Safety18%
Arts & Humanities16%
Transversal Skills15%
Digital & ICT Skills15%
Mathematics & Statistics11%
Engineering & Manufacturing8%
Law & Public Administration7%
Social & Cultural Skills5%
Business & Administration3%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

vocabulary 6.7fraction 6.0grammar 5.3particle model 5.0audience 4.2percentage 4.0photosynthesis 4.0change of state 4.0context 3.9impact 3.8poetry 3.7standard english 3.6textual evidence 3.3purpose 3.1plot 3.0characterisation 3.0observation 3.0force 3.0data analysis 3.0power 3.0formulae 3.0translation 3.0measurement 3.0diffusion 3.0

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses solution, material property, graph from Design and Technology, Mathematics, Science · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses data collection, software, sensors from Computing, Design and Technology, Geography and 1 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data collection, conduct field work, climate change from Computing, Geography, Science · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
More apprenticeships9
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses graph, unit conversion, dna from Mathematics, Science · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Content creatorLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: communication manager, online community manager, web content manager
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses data collection, scale, computer systems from Computing, Design and Technology, Geography and 1 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Manufacturing engineer (degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses force, component selection, electrical system from Design and Technology, Science · jobs: maintenance and repair engineer, industrial engineer, production engineer
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, volume, unit conversion from Mathematics, Science · jobs: battery test technician
Water industry network technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses standard form, volume, unit conversion from Mathematics, Science · jobs: sewerage network operative, product quality inspector, sewerage maintenance technician
Junior animatorLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses audience, movement, creative idea from English Language, Design and Technology, English
Storyboard artistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · creative and design · uses presentation, summarising, interpretation from English Language, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: storyboard artist
Admissions

How do you get a place?

Places at special schools are allocated through an Education, Health and Care plan with Derbyshire, not by distance.

  1. Any timeAsk Derbyshire’s SEND team to name the school in the child’s EHC plan; the school is consulted before a place is offered
Derbyshire

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

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.