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Schools across Derby

Local authority · 119 schools across 4 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Derby (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derby (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Derby →

Schools in Derby (119)

Showing 20 of 119 schools

Total Schools

119

74 primary · 16 secondary

Total Pupils

47,329

98% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

40

6 outstanding · 34 good

Capacity

48,386

1,057 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

34
76
Outstanding: 6
Good: 34
Requires Improvement: 3
Not inspected: 76

Best Schools in Derby

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

36.7

GCSE Eng+Maths

29.6%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

91% full
24,255 pupils26,724 capacity

2,469 spare places

Secondary Schools

106% full
18,632 pupils17,641 capacity

991 over capacity

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.4%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

18.0%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

96

2024/25

Absence trend across Derby schools

4.6%
18/19
5%
20/21
7.4%
21/22
7%
22/23
6.6%
23/24
6.4%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

47%

Plans Issued

519

Assessment Requests

708

Tribunal Cases

45

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

25%
2019
23%
2020
43%
2021
25%
2022
23%
2023
14%
2024
47%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

4,525 admissions

312

Lodged

(6.9%)

223

Heard

35

Successful

(16%)

Primary (infant classes)

3,268 admissions

43

Lodged

(1.3%)

31

Heard

5

Successful

(16%)

Secondary

4,179 admissions

269

Lodged

(6.4%)

219

Heard

30

Successful

(14%)

Total

8,704 admissions

581

Lodged

(6.7%)

442

Heard

65

Successful

(15%)

Total appeals lodged per year

2233
2019
1753
2020
1379
2021
979
2022
1039
2023
1771
2024
1735
2025
1205
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Derby

Derby

116 schools

Littleover

1 schools

Derby.

1 schools

Buxton

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Derby

How many schools are there in Derby?

Derby has 119 open schools: 74 state primary, 19 state secondary or all-through, 5 independent, 11 special and 10 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Derby are rated Outstanding?

15 schools in Derby were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Maple View School, Castleward Spencer Academy, Lawn Primary School, St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Landau Forte College and 10 more. Counting Good as well, 90% of the 103 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Maple View SchoolCastleward Spencer AcademyLawn Primary SchoolSt George's Catholic Voluntary AcademyLandau Forte College

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Derby get the best GCSE results?

Of the 19 schools in Derby with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Littleover Community School, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.5 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Chellaston Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 53.1 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Landau Forte College, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.6 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Littleover Community SchoolChellaston AcademyLandau Forte College

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Derby have the best SATs results?

Of the 60 primary schools in Derby with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Parkview Primary School (93% in reading, 93% in maths); Mickleover Primary School (93% in reading, 90% in maths); and Gayton Junior School (89% in reading, 91% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Parkview Primary SchoolMickleover Primary SchoolGayton Junior School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Derby?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Derby selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Derby have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Derby have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Derby allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Derby?

Apply to Derby through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables