Schools in Derby

Where the River Derwent cuts south through Derbyshire, Derby has grown from a Viking Danelaw borough into a cathedral city and one of the East Midlands' leading centres for advanced manufacturing. Lombe's Mill, built on the Derwent in the early eighteenth century, was among Britain's first mechanised factories and now marks the southern end of the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site. The railways transformed the city through the nineteenth century, and today Rolls-Royce and the Litchurch Lane train plant maintain Derby's place as a transport-engineering centre. Littleover, to the south-west, is among the most sought-after postcodes for school catchments, while Repton and Ockbrook have long been school-competitive villages on the outer Derby fringe, drawing families who weigh independent and selective state provision. Allestree, to the north, and the regenerated City Centre extend the residential choice for incoming families. Around 274,000 people lived in Derby at the 2024 estimate. East Midlands Railway connects the city to Nottingham, Sheffield, and the wider Midland Main Line network.

  • 112

    Primary

    schools

  • 18

    Secondary

    schools

  • 3

    All-through

    schools

  • 1

    Post-16

    colleges

  • 13

    Special

    schools

  • 5

    Other

    schools

of which19sixth forms·31faith·7nurseries159 total

Area Performance

Derby schools rank in the top 57% of England

Across 132 primary, secondary and sixth-form schools, state and independent. The average Find My School Inspection Score is 7.29/10, -0.13 vs England.

Find My School Inspection Band

12% Elite

Distribution across all Derby schools

EliteExcellentGoodDevelopingRebuilding

Derby vs England distribution

National Rank

Top 57%

Across all ranked Derby schools

Top 58%Primaryavg #8,744 of 14,978
Top 56%Secondaryavg #2,169 of 3,862
Top 52%Sixth formavg #1,324 of 2,555

Local directory

School profiles in Derby

Browse 134 local profile links across primary schools, secondary schools and sixth forms. Each profile brings together admissions context, performance data, inspection history and school details in one place.

Primary schools

115 local matches

Rankings

Secondary schools

21 local matches

Rankings

Sixth forms

16 local matches

Rankings
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