Aldercar High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 648 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.9
Academy sponsor led
John Port Spencer Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 2,034of 2,070 places
- Free school meals
- 18.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 320
- Ofsted
- Good, 17 May 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: John Port School (URN 136591, until 31 January 2018).
What the data says
Of the 302 pupils who finished Year 11 at John Port Spencer Academy in 2023, 51% stayed on in John Port Spencer Academy’s own sixth form (Derbyshire average 34%), 31% went to a further education college and 7% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 158 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 66% went to university (Derbyshire 42%, England 37%), and 22% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Chemistry is unusually popular at GCSE: 74% of the year group took it, against 23% of pupils across England.
Most pupils take the three separate sciences: at least 74% sat Biology, Chemistry and Physics as individual GCSEs, compared with about 23% nationally.
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 | John Port Spencer Academy | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 302 | 7,796 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 83% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 51% | 34% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 5% | 13% |
| — further education college | 31% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 | John Port Spencer Academy | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 158 | 3,774 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 85% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 66% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 22% | 21% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 16% | 27% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 11% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | John Port Spencer Academy | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 51.4 | 45.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 18% | 30% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.39 | 3.92 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 41.4 | 34.0 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 53.3 | 49.2 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 2% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 320 | 100% | 88% | 26% | 22% | 83% |
| English Literature | 320 | 100% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 84% |
| English Language | 320 | 100% | 89% | 23% | 20% | 83% |
| Biology | 237 | 74% | 23% | 19% | 45% | 89% |
| Chemistry | 237 | 74% | 23% | 16% | 47% | 83% |
| Physics | 236 | 74% | 23% | 17% | 46% | 78% |
| History | 193 | 60% | 41% | 31% | 26% | 70% |
| Geography | 104 | 33% | 41% | 28% | 25% | 80% |
| Business Studies | 98 | 31% | 18% | 17% | 20% | 64% |
| Combined Science | 82 | 26% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 38% |
| Psychology | 71 | 22% | 3% | 30% | 22% | 76% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 52 | 16% | 8% | 15% | 21% | 67% |
| Physical Education | 47 | 15% | 11% | 11% | 24% | 49% |
| French | 33 | 10% | 18% | 39% | 29% | 88% |
| Fine Art | 33 | 10% | 9% | 58% | 28% | 100% |
| Spanish | 32 | 10% | 19% | 50% | 27% | 94% |
| Drama | 27 | 8% | 7% | 22% | 27% | 85% |
| Sociology | 21 | 7% | 4% | 14% | 21% | 67% |
| Computer Science | 20 | 6% | 13% | 35% | 30% | 90% |
| German | 20 | 6% | 5% | 85% | 33% | 100% |
| Textiles | 19 | 6% | 2% | 42% | 27% | 100% |
| Music | 17 | 5% | 5% | 53% | 33% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 17 | 5% | 11% | 24% | 23% | 65% |
| Photography | 15 | 5% | 6% | 40% | 19% | 100% |
| Statistics | 9 | 3% | 5% | 67% | 20% | 100% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Engineering | 46 | 29% | — |
| Health Studies | 30 | 19% | — |
| Electronic / Electrical Engineering | 18 | 11% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 14 | 9% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | John Port Spencer Academy | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 309 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 158 | 2,363 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.11 | 32.99 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 22% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 54 | 34% | 31% |
| Business Studies | 43 | 27% | 13% |
| Geography | 35 | 22% | 10% |
| Biology | 35 | 22% | 20% |
| Psychology | 34 | 22% | 23% |
| History | 32 | 20% | 13% |
| Economics | 30 | 19% | 13% |
| Physics | 23 | 15% | 12% |
| Chemistry | 21 | 13% | 17% |
| Computer Science | 14 | 9% | 5% |
| English Literature | 14 | 9% | 11% |
| Further Mathematics | 12 | 8% | 5% |
| Media Studies | 12 | 8% | 4% |
| English Language | 12 | 8% | 4% |
| Physical Education | 11 | 7% | 3% |
| Sociology | 9 | 6% | 13% |
| Drama | 7 | 4% | 2% |
| Product Design | 6 | 4% | 2% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 4% | 3% |
| Spanish | 6 | 4% | 2% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 117 | 74% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 31 | 20% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 29 | 18% | — |
| Engineering Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 13 | 8% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 6 | 4% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Derbyshire
Anthony Gell School
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Belper School and Sixth Form Centre
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85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.3
Brookfield Community School
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Buxton Community School
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Chapel-en-le-Frith High School
Community school · 941 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.8
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.