The Bolsover School Review 2026: A structured 11 to 16 offer, with a strong house identity and a clear focus on routines

A school day built around consistent routines, a vertical tutoring model, and a house system rooted in local history sets the tone here. Students are placed into one of five houses, Arkwright, Bainbridge, Hardwick, Nightingale, or Peveril, and that identity runs through charity links, competitions, and pastoral support.

The school is part of Redhill Academy Trust, with leadership comprising Executive Headteacher Mr Matthew Hall and Head of School Steph Spence.

The most recent Ofsted inspection took place on 11 November 2025 and reported that the school met the expected standard across inspected areas, with safeguarding standards met.

For families, the practical headline is that this is a state secondary, there are no tuition fees. What tends to matter more is admissions, the school’s published admission number for Year 7 entry in September 2026 is 180, and oversubscription is resolved through a mix of area priority, siblings, and distance.

The culture is set up to feel organised and legible for students. The daily structure includes five one hour lessons, with a tutorial slot mid morning, and Curriculum Plus activity time after lessons. This timetable matters because it reduces ambiguity about what happens when, and it gives staff predictable touchpoints for checking in with students.

The house system is more than a label. Students stay in the same house for the duration of their time at the school, and each house has a named Head of House, alongside adopted charities that anchor community work. Arkwright links its identity to Richard Arkwright and supports Mind and Weston Park Cancer Charity, Bainbridge references the local mining company and supports the British Heart Foundation, Hardwick draws on Bess of Hardwick and supports Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Nightingale references Florence Nightingale and supports The Nightingale Ward at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and Peveril links to William Peveril and supports Ashgate Hospice.

That structure also shapes pastoral escalation. The first response is designed to sit with subject teachers and form tutors, with Heads of House stepping in for more complex situations. For families, that implies two things. First, day to day issues should have an obvious first point of contact. Second, more serious concerns have a defined pathway to staff whose job includes pastoral oversight.

The school’s current messaging places “Nothing but the best” as a shorthand for expectations, and it sits alongside a set of student pledges framed around being trustworthy, brave, and successful. These phrases show up across the school’s communications and help give students a shared vocabulary for what is expected.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, the school is ranked 2676th in England and 5th in Chesterfield. This reflects solid performance in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). (FindMySchool ranking based on official data.)

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 41.4. Progress 8 is -0.32, which indicates that, on average, students make below average progress from their starting points compared with similar pupils nationally. The implication for families is not that outcomes are weak across the board, but that consistency of progress is an area to watch, especially for students who need momentum and structured support to stay on track.

The EBacc picture is a key detail for academically inclined families. The average EBacc APS is 3.61 compared with an England average of 4.08, and 11.8% of pupils achieve grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure. This suggests that the EBacc route is present, but it is not the dominant story of outcomes for the cohort. For many students, the best fit may be a broader KS4 mix that prioritises appropriate qualifications and sustained engagement rather than a heavily EBacc weighted pathway.

Where the data does not say much is also important. There is no sixth form here, and the school’s results story is therefore concentrated on KS4, with the post 16 pipeline depending on external providers.

Curriculum intent is framed around high aspirations and a broad KS3, followed by KS4 choices that aim to keep pathways open while remaining realistic about the qualifications most likely to help students succeed. The Ofsted report describes a curriculum that identifies key knowledge and sequences learning so that it builds over time, with teachers generally explaining concepts clearly and using questioning to check and deepen understanding.

Reading is positioned as a developing priority, with targeted support for students who are earlier in their reading journey, alongside reinforcement of vocabulary in written and spoken work. The practical implication is that families with children who need structured literacy support should look for the school’s screening and intervention mechanisms, and ask how progress is checked over a term rather than relying on general assurances.

A consistent theme is adaptation and inclusion. The school uses information passports for pupils with SEND, intended to convey key needs and the pupil’s own view of learning to staff. When that works well, it can reduce the risk of a student being treated as an anonymous timetable entry. The development point is staff consistency in applying adaptations, which is the kind of issue families can probe through transition meetings and early parent conversations.

With a 16 plus endpoint, the transition that matters most is into post 16 education, training, or employment. The Ofsted report notes that the majority go on to sustained education, employment, or training, and that careers provision is tailored to individual needs, supported by employer links and work related learning.

In practical terms, families should treat Year 9 and Year 10 as the moment to get serious about post 16 planning. If a student is aiming for A levels, the question becomes which local sixth form or college best matches their subject interests and travel constraints. If a student is leaning towards technical routes or apprenticeships, the school’s provider access and employer engagement become more important, not as a one off careers day but as a repeated set of encounters that build confidence.

Because the school is within a trust, it is also worth asking how trust wide careers frameworks are used locally. The aim is to avoid careers support becoming generic. The best experience is usually a blend of structured programme and targeted individual guidance, especially for students who may be the first in their family to take certain routes.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Derbyshire County Council, with the school publishing a clear timeline for September 2026 entry. The application window opens on 8 September 2025 and closes at midnight on 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 2 March 2026.

The school’s published admission number for September 2026 is 180. After pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, priority is given to looked after and previously looked after children, then to children living in the normal area with siblings at the school, then children in the normal area, then siblings outside the normal area, then other children. Distance is used as the tie break within criteria, measured in a straight line, using local authority systems for the coordinated scheme.

Two practical implications follow. First, “normal area” matters, and families should check their address against Derbyshire’s official normal area tool rather than relying on assumptions based on postcode alone. Second, if demand exceeds places, distance becomes decisive quickly, so families planning a move should understand that priority rules do not create certainty without the relevant location criteria being met.

In year admissions are handled directly by the school, and waiting list positions are ranked by the oversubscription criteria rather than application date. For families arriving mid year, that means the fastest application is not necessarily the highest priority, so it is sensible to gather any evidence required for sibling links and address verification before submitting.

Pastoral organisation runs through the house system and vertical tutor groups, with the stated aim of combining day to day monitoring with the ability to escalate. In a secondary setting, that blend is often what helps students feel known, especially in Years 7 and 8 when routines and friendships are still settling.

Safeguarding is described as meeting standards in the most recent inspection, and the school’s wider safeguarding culture includes named roles and a multi person safeguarding team listed publicly. The key implication for parents is that concerns should have a clear reporting route, and that staff responsibility is distributed rather than resting on one person.

The school also signposts external wellbeing resources for families, and it frames bullying as unacceptable, with encouragement for students to report concerns to staff, typically leading to Head of House involvement where needed. The best way to evaluate how this feels in practice is to ask about recording and follow up, how parents are updated, and what restorative or sanction pathways are used for repeated issues.

Curriculum Plus is the umbrella for co curricular opportunities, and it is integrated into the day by design. After school sessions run to 4:00pm, and the timetable sets aside activity time immediately after lessons.

A significant enabling feature is the late bus, which runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to outlying villages, with booking on the day at Student Services and limited spaces. For families without flexible transport, this can be the difference between a child participating consistently and opting out. The school also registers pupils who remain on site after 3:00pm, and takes a further register as students are collected by the late bus, which matters from a safeguarding perspective as well as from a parent reassurance point of view.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award runs at Bronze level for Year 10. The programme covers volunteering, physical activity, skills, and an expedition, and it is positioned as a long term commitment rather than a quick badge. For many students, this is where confidence is built through incremental goals, particularly for those who thrive on structured milestones outside exam grades.

Music provision includes instrumental tuition across a practical band focused range, including drum kit, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and piano, with lessons offered individually or shared. The indicative cost is stated as approximately £6 for 20 minutes per week initially, rising to £10 after six weeks, with subsidies available. This matters for families because it frames music as accessible for beginners, not only for students already on a pathway.

Educational visits are another distinctive strand, including a mix of curriculum linked trips and larger residential opportunities. The school cites past destinations including Italy for snow sports, Austria for adventurous activities, and international city visits including Toronto and New York, alongside European destinations such as France, Krakow, and Germany. The implication is that experiences are used to widen horizons and support careers education, but families should expect behaviour and attendance expectations to be tied to participation, with the school reserving the right to withdraw places where standards are not met.

Sport is present not only as fixtures but also as a source of community pride. School communications highlight competitive success such as a county cup win, which points to active participation and a culture that values representing the school well.

The school day runs from 8:30am to 3:00pm, with five one hour lessons and structured break, lunch, and tutorial times, plus Curriculum Plus activity time immediately after lessons.

Uniform expectations are specific, including a black blazer with the school logo, a house tie, and standardised black footwear rules. Families should plan early for uniform procurement, particularly because house ties are part of the required kit.

As a state secondary, there are no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the usual secondary costs such as uniform, trips, and optional extras including instrumental tuition.

• Progress consistency. A Progress 8 score of -0.32 indicates that students, on average, make below average progress from their starting points. Families may want to ask how intervention is targeted by subject and how quickly it is put in place when a student falls behind.

• Admissions hinge on location rules. The oversubscription criteria place significant weight on living in the normal area served by the school, and then use straight line distance as a tie break within criteria. If you are moving house, check the official normal area status early, not after you have applied.

• After school participation depends on logistics. Curriculum Plus runs until 4:00pm, and while the late bus helps on Tuesday to Thursday, capacity is limited and booking is required on the day. Families should plan around this if clubs are a priority.

• KS4 pathways are not purely EBacc led. With a low proportion achieving grade 5 or above in EBacc, the strongest route for some students may be a balanced option mix focused on engagement and appropriate qualifications, rather than assuming an EBacc heavy programme is the default.

The Bolsover School offers a clear, routine driven secondary experience, anchored by a strong house system and a co curricular structure that is practical for many families, particularly with the late bus and a defined post lesson activity slot. It suits students who benefit from predictable structures, supportive pastoral organisation through tutor groups and Heads of House, and a school culture that values belonging and participation alongside academic outcomes. The main challenge for some families is admissions priority, where normal area and distance rules can be decisive when places are tight.