Da Vinci Academy Review 2026: A STEM-leaning secondary with structured pastoral oversight

This is a state-funded 11–16 academy that puts a lot of its public-facing detail into how school life is organised, how pupils are supported, and how learning is extended beyond timetabled lessons. Its published curriculum information is unusually explicit for a mainstream secondary, with clear GCSE subject pathways and a parallel emphasis on employability and careers preparation.

Leadership has been in a period of change, with Miss Jayne Scattergood taking up the headteacher role from 01 January 2024. The school sits within L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, which matters in practice because policies and admissions arrangements are framed at trust level.

For parents weighing this option, the overall picture is straightforward: a school that is open about expectations and routines, offers a practical curriculum mix, and appears to place particular weight on safety, standards, and future pathways. The question for families is whether the academic outcomes and subject profile match their child’s needs, and whether they are comfortable with the school’s pace and approach to behaviour and attendance.

The tone set publicly is one of clarity and standards. The headteacher’s welcome emphasises high expectations around learning, conduct, uniform, attendance, punctuality, and involvement in day-to-day school life. That kind of messaging tends to work best for pupils who respond well to predictable structures and who benefit from routines that are consistently reinforced across staff.

The school’s published values are Respect, Kindness, and Responsibility, presented not as abstract ideals but as behaviours that are expected to show up in relationships, conflict management, and day-to-day decision-making. The most useful implication for parents is that the school is trying to give pupils a common language for behaviour and belonging. When a school is explicit about this, it can help pupils who need clear social cues; it can also feel directive to pupils who prefer a looser style of adult oversight.

Pastoral organisation is also defined in a practical way. Support is channelled through an Achievement Team, with Assistant Achievement Leaders for each year group and Achievement Leaders spanning specific year bands, rather than a single generic “pastoral team” label. That matters because it usually means there is a named point of contact linked to year-group needs, which can speed up communication when attendance, friendships, or behaviour patterns start to drift.

Although this is not a faith school, it does put emphasis on civic and personal development themes. The published British values and wider personal development content includes democratic representation through year-group representatives and pupil voice, alongside an expectation that prejudice and discriminatory behaviour are challenged. For pupils, the practical outcome is a school that is trying to be explicit about social norms, inclusion, and rights, rather than leaving these topics implicit.

The latest graded Ofsted inspection (October 2021) rated the school Good overall, with Good judgements across Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management.

From an outcomes perspective, the school’s GCSE performance sits below the England average in the FindMySchool ranking set used here. Ranked 3,646th in England and 17th in Derby for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it falls into the lower-performing band nationally.

That ranking context is consistent with the attainment and progress indicators. Attainment 8 is 32.2, and Progress 8 is -0.64, which indicates that, on average, pupils made less progress than peers nationally from similar starting points. The EBacc average point score is 2.78, and 6.4% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects, which points to a cohort where EBacc outcomes are a challenge relative to many schools.

For parents, the implication is to think carefully about fit. Pupils who are already securely on track, organised, and independent may do well with the school’s clear standards and extended opportunities. Pupils who need significant academic catch-up may also do well, but only if home and school are aligned on attendance, routines, and the willingness to use interventions. For many families, the most productive next step is to compare local options side-by-side on FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages, using the Comparison Tool to put Progress 8, Attainment 8, and subject patterns into context before shortlisting.

The clearest signal on teaching is the school’s published curriculum structure, especially at Key Stage 4. The stated GCSE and vocational offer includes a blend of academic subjects and applied pathways, such as separate sciences, Computer Science, Food Preparation and Nutrition, and BTEC-style technical awards including Construction, Health and Social Care, Sport, Travel and Tourism, and Child Development.

That mix can be a strength when it is well-taught and well-advised, because it allows pupils to build a programme that is both motivating and realistic. The key is how choices are guided. The school’s options messaging frames this as “choice and opportunity” and describes scheduled meetings and information events to support decisions. The implication is that families should engage actively at options time. Pupils who keep doors open for post-16 routes generally benefit from a balanced selection, rather than a narrow set of “easy wins”.

Subject pages also indicate that departments are expected to offer learning beyond lessons. Computing describes a weekly coding club, positioned as an enrichment opportunity during the school year. Modern languages highlights a French club that uses authentic media such as music and film, which can help pupils build confidence in listening and cultural context, not only exam technique.

Science is where the school’s distinctive enrichment detail is strongest. It describes two STEM clubs, including an “official” STEM club focused on projects such as designing rockets and hydraulic arms, and a separate “Boomtown” science club framed as practical and enjoyment-led. It also notes success in an iRail national competition. For pupils who enjoy practical problem-solving, this is a tangible route into applied science and engineering habits, with a clear implication for motivation and confidence.

As an 11–16 school, the core destination story is post-16 transition rather than university pipelines. The most useful evidence here comes from the careers and employability content the school publishes. Year-group materials reference structured preparation such as mock interviews, CV writing, and a continued use of Unifrog as a platform for careers learning and portfolio-building, alongside leadership opportunities such as prefect roles and ambassador schemes.

The school’s Provider Access Policy gives a more concrete view of encounters and employer engagement. It references engagement with public services and employers, including NHS careers sessions, armed forces careers engagement (RAF, Royal Navy, British Army), and a University of Derby visit and tour. The implication is a careers programme that is oriented towards multiple routes, including sixth form, college, and apprenticeships, rather than treating post-16 as a single academic pathway.

Because published destination percentages are not available for this school, parents should treat post-16 planning as something to probe directly: which local sixth forms and colleges are most common, what the application support looks like in Year 11, and how the school supports pupils aiming for technical or apprenticeship routes as well as A-levels.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Derby City Council for the normal admissions round. For September 2026 entry, Derby’s coordinated admissions scheme sets the closing date for applications as 31 October 2025. The school’s admissions guidance also reflects this pattern, noting that applications typically open at the beginning of September and remain open until 31 October.

Where the school is oversubscribed, its published admissions policy sets out priority criteria, beginning with children with Education, Health and Care Plans naming the academy, then looked-after and previously looked-after children, followed by catchment and sibling criteria, and finally other applicants. Distance from home to the academy’s front gates is used as a tie-break where criteria cannot separate applicants, with random allocation used where distances are identical.

Offer timing is clear for the 2026 round. The school’s admissions page publishes a provisional National Offer Date for secondary schools as Monday 02 March 2026, alongside an appeals timetable that includes a provisional closing date of Tuesday 31 March 2026 and a provisional hearing date of Tuesday 05 May 2026.

For families who want to be precise about catchment and proximity, it is sensible to use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check home-to-gates distance before relying on a place, and to verify how the local authority defines the measurement point and address evidence.

A monitoring visit in July 2023 confirmed safeguarding was effective. Beyond inspection statements, the school publishes detailed safeguarding content, including an explicit safeguarding curriculum intended to teach pupils how to recognise risks and seek help, with content adapted by age group and cohort needs.

Safeguarding is also framed as a whole-site responsibility. Published guidance highlights safer recruitment expectations and supervised visitors, and situates this within national guidance such as Keeping Children Safe in Education. The practical implication is that the school is trying to demonstrate transparency about systems and responsibilities, which is often reassuring for parents who want clarity on how concerns are handled.

Pastoral support, as noted earlier, is organised through the Achievement Team structure. Attendance expectations are also described in a staged way, with meetings triggered after defined thresholds of absence and with escalation routes involving an Education Welfare Officer where needed. Families considering the school should take this seriously: schools with clear attendance escalation usually expect prompt parent engagement and can be less flexible with avoidable absence.

For pupils with additional needs, the school publishes SEND information and identifies a named SENCo, alongside a stated commitment to inclusive practice. Parents of pupils with SEND will want to discuss what support looks like in lessons, how interventions are scheduled, and how progress is communicated, particularly given the overall attainment and progress picture.

The strongest “beyond lessons” signal is the STEM strand. The official STEM club’s project focus (including rockets and hydraulic arms) suggests an approach that values making, testing, and iteration, rather than purely theoretical extension. That can be a meaningful confidence-builder for pupils who learn best through doing, and it can also help pupils connect science to possible technical careers.

Alongside that, the “Boomtown” science club is described as practical and enjoyment-led, which matters because enrichment only works at scale when it has a low barrier to entry. Pupils who would not self-select into a competitive STEM group can still get hands-on experience, and that can shift attitudes towards science over time.

Computing adds another consistent opportunity through a weekly coding club. When that is run well, it gives pupils a place to practise building and debugging outside lesson constraints, and it tends to be particularly helpful for pupils who need extra time to consolidate skills.

Languages and humanities also point towards clubs that extend learning beyond the exam syllabus. French club focuses on authentic media such as music and film, which can make the language feel more “real” and can improve listening confidence. Humanities references previous extracurricular activity such as a History’s Mysteries club and an environment-themed club, and indicates an intention to continue offering learning beyond the classroom.

Finally, leadership and personal development opportunities appear to be intentionally structured. Year-group materials reference roles such as prefects, house captains, school captains, and ambassador schemes, alongside participation in open evenings and mock interviews. The implication is that pupils who want responsibility can find formal routes to it, rather than relying on informal recognition.

The compulsory school day runs from 8:30am to 3:05pm, which equates to 32 hours 55 minutes per week including breaks (excluding after-school activities). Term dates are published in advance for 2025–26, which helps with planning around INSET days and holiday boundaries.

As a secondary school, there is no typical “wraparound care” model in the primary sense, but parents should check what supervised after-school provision is available through the extended curriculum offer, and whether late buses or structured homework sessions exist for pupils who need them.

• Academic outcomes and pace. Progress 8 (-0.64) indicates pupils, on average, made less progress than peers nationally from similar starting points. Families should ask how support is targeted for pupils who arrive below age-related expectations, and how quickly gaps are addressed.

• EBacc profile. EBacc outcomes are low (EBacc APS 2.78; 6.4% achieving grade 5+ across EBacc subjects). This may reflect entry patterns, cohort needs, or curriculum choices; parents should discuss EBacc uptake, languages policy, and how options guidance keeps post-16 routes open.

• Attendance and standards expectations. Published information sets out clear triggers and escalation routes around attendance, alongside strong messaging about uniform and conduct. This can work well when home and school are aligned; it can be harder where routines are unsettled or family circumstances are complex.

• No sixth form on site. Post-16 progression is a step change by design, so pupils who prefer continuity should plan early for sixth form or college pathways and visit alternatives in Year 10 or early Year 11.

Da Vinci Academy is best understood as a structured, standards-led 11–16 school with a clearly articulated pastoral model and a visible emphasis on practical futures, particularly through STEM enrichment and careers preparation. It suits pupils who respond well to clear routines, who will engage with extended opportunities such as STEM, coding, and leadership roles, and whose families want a school that is explicit about expectations. Securing the right fit depends on a realistic view of academic outcomes and on active engagement at options time and through Year 11 transition planning.