Anthony Gell School, Matlock
Anthony Gell School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Matlock, part of Embark Multi Academy Trust. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 16th-highest of the 45 schools in Derbyshire with published results, and 1,514th of 3,298 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Anthony Gell School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Anthony Gell School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.2 in Derbyshire and 47 across England.
45% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Derbyshire and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 45.8.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.27: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31.1, against 53.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 22.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Anthony Gell School
For September 2026 entry, 135 families put Anthony Gell School as their first choice and 259 named it as one of their preferences, for 131 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
The trust
Anthony Gell School is one of 29 schools run by Embark Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 147 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 33% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.
Of the 86 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 48% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 28% into work. 20% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
0.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 131 pupils (16.9%) received SEN support and 63 (8.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Wirksworth (Ecclesbourne Valley Railway), about 460 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Anthony Gell School (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 26 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Anthony Gell School issued 54 suspensions, 6.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Anthony Gell School are Wirksworth Junior School (0.3 miles), Wirksworth CofE Infant School (0.3 miles) and Middleton Community Primary School (1.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Wirksworth Junior SchoolWirksworth CofE Infant SchoolMiddleton Community Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Anthony Gell School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in August 2023. Before that, as Anthony Gell School (URN 112968), it was rated Good in February 2015.
About
Anthony Gell School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Wirksworth in the English county of Derbyshire.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
24.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Attainment 8 has declined from 49.9 to 46.7 (2024 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 51% to 45% (2024 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 46.7 | 44.5% |
| Disadvantaged(39) | - | 31.1 | 15.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(89) | - | 53.5 | 57.3% |
| Boys(65) | - | 44.2 | 41.5% |
| Girls(63) | - | 49.2 | 47.6% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(123) | - | 47.7 | 46.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 147 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.13%
Exclusion rate
54
Suspensions
6.91%
Suspension rate
21 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 781 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Anthony Gell School
Term dates
Anthony Gell School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Derbyshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Anthony Gell School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Anthony Gell School is in Derbyshire; for families living there:
- Derbyshire's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy 2026 to 2027 - 465KB
- How to apply: Apply for home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Anthony Gell School
Will you get a place at Anthony Gell School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Anthony Gell School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Anthony Gell School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Anthony Gell School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Anthony Gell School for 2024 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derbyshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
782 pupils
797 places
15 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Matlock
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Matlock
Across Derbyshire council
Places available
8,818
Applications
7,971
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All secondary applications across Derbyshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
131
SEN Support
63
EHC Plans
25.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
776
Total Pupils
394
Boys
382
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
50
Teachers
15.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,568
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,924
Per pupil
£4723k
Total funding
£173k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.9%
Overall absence
25.4%
Persistent absence
658
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Anthony Gell School
Questions parents ask about Anthony Gell School
What are GCSE results like at Anthony Gell School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Anthony Gell School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46.7. 45% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Anthony Gell School's Ofsted rating?
Anthony Gell School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in August 2023. Before that, as Anthony Gell School (URN 112968), it was rated Good in February 2015.
What is the catchment area for Anthony Gell School?
No fixed boundary. When Anthony Gell School is oversubscribed, Derbyshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Anthony Gell School?
Anthony Gell School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Anthony Gell School?
Classes at Anthony Gell School average 20.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Anthony Gell School?
Anthony Gell School has around 776 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Anthony Gell School?
10.9% of sessions were missed at Anthony Gell School in 2024/25. 25.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Anthony Gell School?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Anthony Gell School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Anthony Gell School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Anthony Gell School?
Anthony Gell School is at Wirksworth, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 4DX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)