Belper School and Sixth Form Centre Review 2026: A community secondary with an improving academic direction

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is a mixed 11 to 18 foundation school in Derbyshire, opened in 1973, with a large intake and a substantial sixth form offer.

The most recent inspection (20 and 21 May 2025; published 27 June 2025) judged the school Good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth form provision. This matters because it indicates a credible step forward from the previous Requires improvement inspection (November 2022), alongside a clearer sense of direction on curriculum, behaviour consistency, reading support, and personal development.

Leadership has also recently changed, with Ms Matilde Warden taking up the headteacher post from 01 September 2024. For parents, the practical question is fit: a large, inclusive comprehensive with broad opportunities, improving culture, and a sixth form that offers a defined route to A-levels, apprenticeships, and employment.

A strong theme in the school’s recent external evaluation is relationships: mutual respect between pupils, sixth form students and staff, a calm day-to-day environment, and consistent expectations for conduct. Low-level disruption is described as rare, which is usually the difference between a school that feels purposeful and one that feels draining for learners.

The school’s identity also leans into belonging and participation. Enrichment materials on the website frame extracurricular life as part of the core experience, rather than an optional add-on. That shows up in the range of clubs referenced in official materials and timetables, and in the way personal development is described as structured rather than incidental.

Leadership transition can create uncertainty, but here it is accompanied by a clearly dated start and a narrative of curriculum and teaching focus. Ms Matilde Warden’s appointment took effect from 01 September 2024, following a planned retirement of the previous headteacher. The latest inspection notes improvements since the previous visit, and that is the core “feel” parents should take from current evidence: a school that is stabilising standards and pushing ambition, while still working through a small number of consistency issues across the wider curriculum and attendance.

Belper’s headline GCSE positioning is best understood as broadly mid-range by national ranking, with room to strengthen progress measures.

GCSE ranking statement (FindMySchool ranking)

Ranked 1,782nd in England and 2nd in Belper for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool proprietary ranking based on official data).

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 45.2, and Progress 8 is -0.31, indicating pupils, on average, make below-average progress compared with pupils nationally who had similar starting points. (FindMySchool data.)

The EBacc picture is mixed. The school’s average EBacc APS is 4.07, close to the England benchmark shown (4.08). 21.8% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects. (FindMySchool data.) This suggests that while the EBacc pathway is present, high-grade success within it is not yet widespread.

At A-level, outcomes sit in a lower national band in the FindMySchool dataset, so families considering sixth form should read the detail rather than assume “sixth form equals stronger results”.

A-level ranking statement (FindMySchool ranking)

Ranked 2,170th in England and 2nd in Belper for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool proprietary ranking based on official data).

A* is 2.99%, A is 6.59%, and A* to B is 28.14%. England averages are higher for top grades (A* to A at 23.6%; A* to B at 47.2%). (FindMySchool data.) The implication is straightforward: the sixth form offer may still be the right choice for many students locally, but those targeting highly competitive university entry should check subject-level strength, support, and course fit carefully.

The most recent evaluation describes a curriculum that has been reshaped to raise ambition, with particularly strong implementation in English and mathematics. For many families, that is the foundation: if core subjects are taught coherently, pupils are more likely to gain confidence and keep options open at GCSE.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority, with targeted support for pupils who struggle and a sixth-form “buddy reader” element that combines academic intervention with mentoring. The practical benefit is twofold: improved access to the wider curriculum for weaker readers, and a culture that treats literacy as everyone’s responsibility rather than a narrow department issue.

A clear development area is consistency in adapting learning in some wider subjects, especially for pupils with SEND and high-attaining pupils (including disadvantaged high-attainers). Parents of pupils at either end of the attainment range should ask subject leaders how adaptive teaching is embedded across departments, not only in core areas.

For post-16 families, the most informative destination data here is the official leaver pathway split for the 2023/24 cohort. Among that cohort (81 leavers), 46% progressed to university, 14% to apprenticeships, and 31% to employment. (FindMySchool data.) This is a relatively “mixed economy” outcome profile, which will appeal to students who want genuine options beyond a single university-only route.

Academic stretch exists, but it is not the defining feature of the sixth form profile. In the Oxbridge measurement period shown there were 2 Cambridge applications, 1 offer, and 1 student ultimately taking up a place. (FindMySchool data.) That is small-scale, but it indicates that high-end applications are supported when the individual student profile fits.

The sixth form also signals employability and progression work through its wider programme and guidance, including structured careers advice and personal development themes. Recent sixth form communications list a broad spread of university destinations (without publishing full numerical breakdowns), which supports the view that progression routes are varied rather than concentrated in a narrow set of institutions.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority, using a published admissions number and clear oversubscription criteria. For September 2026 entry, the school’s admissions number is 210 for Year 7, and offers are issued through the local authority scheme on or after 01 March 2026.

The application window for secondary transfer into September 2026 is published as 08 September 2025 to 31 October 2025, with confirmations in March 2026. This is helpful because it gives families specific dates to work to, rather than relying on generalised “autumn term” guidance.

Oversubscription is described for the most recently reported cycle, with 277 applications and 190 offers, which is about 1.46 applications per place. (FindMySchool data.) That indicates demand pressure, but not the extreme ratios seen in some urban schools. Families should still treat admission as competitive if they are outside the normal area or do not have sibling priority.

The criteria set out in the admissions policy follow a familiar pattern: priority for children in care; then children living in the normal area with siblings; then other children in the normal area; then siblings outside the normal area; then others, with distance as the tie-break within criteria.

For Year 12, the school publishes a defined sixth form process. Applications are submitted online, with a stated deadline of 05 December 2025, followed by interviews (timed across December for internal applicants and January for external applicants), and final confirmation after GCSE results where entry criteria are met. Entry criteria for 2026 include a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades 4 to 9, including GCSE mathematics and GCSE English Language or English Literature, plus subject-specific requirements.

Parents comparing options should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check travel practicality and likely routes, then keep a shortlist using Saved Schools so open evenings, application milestones, and sixth form deadlines do not slip.

Pastoral support is described as a clear strength, including support for pupils with SEND and the integration of wellbeing into school life. The school’s approach includes workshops to help pupils manage anxiety, trained mental-health ambassadors and mental-health first aiders, and calm spaces that include outdoor options for quiet time.

Safeguarding is reported as effective in the most recent inspection. For parents, the useful follow-up questions are operational rather than abstract: how concerns are raised, how pupils are taught to stay safe online, and how consistently attendance and behaviour expectations are applied.

Attendance is also identified as an area still needing improvement, with a focus on reducing absence and improving regular attendance, especially for disadvantaged pupils. That is relevant because attendance patterns correlate strongly with GCSE outcomes, and consistent attendance often differentiates a “steady improver” school from one that stalls.

Belper’s enrichment offer is a tangible strength because it spans both high-visibility activities and niche interests. Published activity timetables include options such as Warhammer and Tabletop Games, Technical Theatre Club, Belper Choir, Anti-bullying Ambassadors, and Wellbeing Ambassadors, alongside sport and leadership activity. The implication is a wider set of “entry points” for different kinds of student, including those who do not see themselves as traditional sports joiners.

Creative arts facilities are unusually well specified for a large comprehensive. The school’s community theatre provision includes a large stage and an auditorium with retractable tiered seating for up to 242, plus dressing rooms, a dance studio, and drama studios, with wheelchair access and modernised technical infrastructure. For students drawn to performance, production, or backstage work, that level of facility can change what is realistically possible within a state school timetable.

Sport is supported both on-site and through local partnership. Official school materials describe access to a broad range of physical education facilities, including a sports hall and leisure-centre facilities such as a swimming pool and squash courts, as well as the option to hire a 3G pitch. This tends to benefit students who enjoy varied activity, and it also supports a healthier “sport for all” model rather than a narrow focus on one team.

Day timings published for September 2025 show students arriving at 08:30, registration at 08:35, and lessons finishing at 15:05, delivering a weekly total of 32 hours 30 minutes. Families should also note that the school describes a “twilight” slot in sixth form information, which suggests some extended-day academic or enrichment activity may run later on some days, depending on year group and programme.

Transport support is signposted through Derbyshire County Council, and the school also publishes a downloadable student transport timetable. For families outside central Belper, it is worth checking practical routes early, especially if a child will rely on a specific bus service to arrive on time for morning registration.

• Attendance remains a live issue. The latest inspection identifies that some pupils do not attend regularly enough; this can limit progress and wider participation unless the family and school jointly address barriers early.

• A-level outcomes are a weaker point. The sixth form experience may still be strong pastorally and academically for many students, but families aiming for top-grade profiles should scrutinise subject fit, support, and the entry criteria carefully. (FindMySchool data.)

• Adaptive teaching consistency varies by subject. Evidence points to strong core implementation, but less consistent adaptation in some wider subjects for pupils with SEND and high-attaining students; this is worth exploring department by department at open events.

• Admission has demand pressure. The dataset indicates more applications than offers in the most recent reported cycle; families should treat the process as competitive rather than automatic, particularly if outside priority criteria. (FindMySchool data.)

Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is best understood as a large, inclusive comprehensive on an improvement trajectory, with a calm culture, strong pastoral systems, and a credible enrichment offer anchored by unusually clear theatre provision and broad activity choice.

It suits families who want a community-based secondary with structured expectations, broad extracurricular access, and a sixth form route that supports university, apprenticeships and employment pathways. Securing entry and sustaining attendance are the two practical levers that most influence outcomes here.