Derby Moor Spencer Academy Review 2026: A structured, inclusive 11-18 academy with a strong sixth form pathway

A calm start to the day matters here. The latest published inspection describes classical music playing as pupils arrive, a small detail that signals a school that cares about routines, readiness, and the learning climate.

Derby Moor Spencer Academy is a mixed secondary and sixth form in Littleover, Derby, part of The Spencer Academies Trust. The academy converted in January 2018, and the current Principal is Mr Scott Doyle.

For families, the headline is balance. Outcomes sit broadly in line with the middle of England’s pack at GCSE and A-level, while the school places notable weight on employability, inclusion, and wider development, including a dedicated Inclusion Centre of Excellence and structured sixth form support.

The strongest theme across official materials is inclusion paired with clear expectations. The inspection describes a diverse and inclusive setting where students report feeling safe and happy, with good relationships between pupils and teachers.

That sense of belonging is reinforced through leadership and student voice structures. Student leaders have defined roles that include peer mentoring, reading support, and work to redevelop the library, as well as planning calendared events that reflect the school’s cultural breadth. This matters in practice because it gives students visible, age-appropriate responsibility, which often improves buy-in to routines and reduces low-level disruption.

The built environment is positioned as part of the offer. School materials refer to a rebuild completed in 2013, with a modern entrance plaza and varied learning spaces. More recently, the Trust has highlighted the opening of an Inclusion Centre of Excellence designed to provide a therapeutic, safe space, with meeting rooms and a base for a multi-disciplinary team including family workers, a youth worker, counsellors, behaviour mentors, and specialist teaching assistants. For families weighing support needs, this is a concrete indicator that inclusion is resourced, not just stated.

Derby Moor’s GCSE outcomes place it squarely in the middle band nationally. Ranked 1,950th in England and 10th in Derby for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the profile reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The Attainment 8 score is 44.1, and Progress 8 is -0.06. The EBacc average point score is 4.16. These figures suggest broadly typical progress from starting points, with room to strengthen the proportion of students securing higher outcomes across the EBacc suite.

At A-level, the sixth form also sits in the same broad band. Ranked 1,030th in England and 7th in Derby for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), results reflect a mainstream sixth form with both academic and applied pathways.

Grade distribution is: A* 3.69%, A 20.08%, B 31.56%, and A*-B 55.33%. Compared with England averages, the A*/A proportion (23.77%) is broadly aligned with the England benchmark (23.6%), while A*-B is above the England benchmark (47.2%).

The practical implication is that the sixth form appears particularly effective at securing a solid pass profile across a broad cohort, which is often what matters most for university entry and higher apprenticeships. The more selective end of the grade profile is present, but not the defining story.

Parents comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub Comparison Tool to view GCSE and A-level outcomes side by side with other Derby schools, rather than relying on reputation alone.

The academy’s teaching model is unusually well specified for a large secondary. The inspection describes a consistent lesson structure referred to as the Derby Moor classroom, supported by tools such as KAS (knowledge and skills) and WIN (what I know) sheets. The benefit of this kind of shared model is predictability. Students know what a lesson will look like, and staff can focus on subject expertise rather than reinventing routines.

Subject examples in the inspection give a sense of how this lands in classrooms. In mathematics, modelling is used to show pupils how to break down and solve worded problems; teachers use assessment to check understanding and adapt teaching. At sixth form, teaching is described as demanding, with students able to engage with challenging concepts (psychology is cited as one example).

Employability is explicitly woven through curriculum intent. The inspection notes leaders have integrated employability into many aspects of curriculum planning, alongside broader personal development work on staying safe, including education linked to issues such as knife crime and domestic abuse. For many families, this is a differentiator: the school aims to prepare students for adult life as well as exams.

There is also a clear improvement point. The inspection notes that in a small number of subjects, activities do not match the intended curriculum closely enough and are sometimes not demanding enough, which limits depth of knowledge. This is a meaningful caveat for academically ambitious families: the overall framework is coherent, but consistency across all subjects can still be the difference between solid and exceptional.

This is a school with an active destination pipeline rather than a narrow university-only story. In the 2023/24 leaver cohort (cohort size 94), 64% progressed to university, 6% to apprenticeships, 10% to employment, and 3% to further education.

Oxbridge entry exists but is small-scale, which is typical for a large comprehensive intake. Across the measurement period provided, there were 6 applications to Oxford and Cambridge combined, leading to 1 acceptance.

The sixth form’s published offer is designed to support both academic and vocational routes. One sixth form prospectus explicitly notes that students can mix A-level and BTEC pathways, and highlights careers support, including holding the Career Mark Platinum Award. A newer prospectus also describes a Year 12 employability programme involving work placements, mentoring from industry experts, and an employer-set project. The implication is straightforward: students aiming for higher apprenticeships, applied degrees, and employment-linked routes are not treated as secondary to university applicants.

Year 7 entry (September 2026)

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Derby City’s normal admissions round. The school advises that applications for September 2026 entry can be made from 04 September 2025, with an online closing date of 31 October 2025. The academy’s published admission number for September 2026 is 300.

Derby City Council’s coordinated scheme reinforces the key timing, including the national offer day approach (1 March, or the next working day).

Open events are a useful reality-check for fit. For the most recent cycle, the school advertised a Year 6 Open Evening on 02 October, 5.00pm to 7.00pm, with presentations and the chance to tour facilities. For September 2026 entry, families should expect a similar early-October pattern and check the school’s events listings for the exact dates and booking arrangements.

Sixth form entry (September 2026)

Applications are open for entry to Derby Moor Sixth Form in September 2026, with applications closing on Monday 12 January 2026. The school indicates that interviews typically take place from February to March.

Entry requirements are published in the sixth form prospectus. For A-level pathways, the stated baseline is at least five GCSEs at grades 9-5 including Maths and English, plus subject-specific requirements; for BTEC pathways, at least five GCSEs at grades 9-4 including Maths and English, plus course-specific requirements.

A sixth form open evening is part of the annual rhythm. The school advertised a Sixth Form Open Evening on Wednesday 15 October 2025, 5.30pm to 7.00pm.

Families shortlisting the school should use the Saved Schools feature to keep notes on open evenings, sixth form requirements, and how the curriculum model aligns with their child’s learning style.

Pastoral systems appear to be a genuine strength, with safeguarding described as effective and underpinned by consistent vigilance and record-keeping. Beyond safeguarding, the inclusion structure is unusually tangible. The school’s SEND information sets out a graduated approach to identification and support, emphasising high-quality teaching first, with a structured assess-plan-do-review cycle when additional need is identified.

Families with SEND-related questions will also want to note the named SENCO (Mrs McGuinn) and the emphasis on staff training, specialist teaching assistant development, and use of external agencies where appropriate. The practical implication is that support is framed as a whole-school responsibility, not a bolt-on.

Attendance expectations are also explicit. The school day is built around punctual registration at 8.40am, and the attendance policy sets out the expectation that pupils are collected at 3.05pm, with an earlier finish of 2.45pm on Wednesdays. Clear, published routines like these can be helpful for students who benefit from predictable structure.

Extracurricular provision is positioned as a participation offer, not just elite teams. The school’s published overview lists sport, arts (including drama, music, dance, and art), subject support sessions, productions, supported homework, and student leadership and volunteering.

Two strands stand out as particularly developed. The first is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. School communications describe Bronze and Silver completions in May 2025, supported by practice expeditions and regular after-school sessions, with students developing navigation skills and teamwork goals. This is a good fit for students who respond well to structured challenge outside the classroom.

The second is leadership and service. Student leadership includes peer mentoring and reading support, plus delivery of cultural events and school-wide initiatives. For students who gain confidence through responsibility, these roles can be as formative as sport or performance.

Clubs and activities also connect to practicalities. The school publishes that many clubs run from 3.05pm to 4.05pm, with reception available until 4.15pm for queries, which helps families plan travel and pick-up routines.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The published rhythm of the day is clear. Students are expected in for registration at 8.40am, with the normal end of the day at 3.05pm and an earlier finish of 2.45pm on Wednesdays. For older year groups, the school also runs targeted breakfast and revision opportunities during peak exam periods, which can mean earlier starts for some students.

The academy sits in Littleover, Derby, and serves a large cohort. For travel planning, families should prioritise punctual arrival expectations and confirm current arrangements for bus routes and any cycling guidance via school communications.

• Consistency across subjects. The latest inspection highlights that in a small number of subjects, learning activities do not match the curriculum precisely and can be insufficiently demanding. This is worth probing at open evening, particularly for students who are highly academic across a wide range of subjects.

• Sixth form workload and independence. The sixth form offer is designed to build independence through structured study and employability activities. This suits self-motivated students; those who need close daily prompting may need a clearer support plan.

• Competitive timing for September 2026. The published application window for Year 7 entry is anchored to early autumn, with a 31 October deadline. Families moving into the area or changing preferences late should understand how late applications are handled by the local authority.

• A large school experience. With a substantial roll and a large intake, the experience is likely to suit students who want social breadth and many activity options. Students who prefer a very small setting may need to check how personalised support feels in practice.

Derby Moor Spencer Academy is a structured, inclusive 11-18 academy that places serious weight on employability, student leadership, and support systems, alongside a mainstream academic profile. The school’s outcomes are broadly in line with the middle range of England schools, while the sixth form appears effective at securing a solid grade profile and supporting multiple routes beyond Year 13.

Best suited to families who want a large, diverse school with clear routines, a defined teaching model, and a sixth form that supports university, apprenticeships, and employment-linked pathways. The key question to test at open evening is consistency across subjects, especially for students aiming for the highest academic stretch in every area.