Castle Donington College, Derby
Castle Donington College is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Derby, part of East Midlands Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 6th-highest of the 18 schools in Derby with published results, and 1,514th of 3,298 across England. It was 91% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Leicestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Castle Donington College in detail
Castle Donington College in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome to Castle Donington College, where we have a simple ethos: work hard, take responsibility, be kind. We have every reason to be proud of our school. Castle Donington College is a wonderful, safe and special place. Our children are at the heart of everything we do."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Castle Donington College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.8 in Leicestershire and 47 across England.
52% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Leicestershire and 47% in England.
That is down from 48.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.27: pupils made below 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 27.5, against 51.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 23.9 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and History.
Getting a place at Castle Donington College
For September 2026 entry, 121 families put Castle Donington College as their first choice and 161 named it as one of their preferences, for 128 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Castle Donington College
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Castle Donington College are The Long Eaton School (4.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 41.3); Chellaston Academy (4.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 53.1); Wilsthorpe School (4.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.3); and Iveshead School (5.1 miles, Attainment 8 44.2).
Castle Donington College's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
The Long Eaton SchoolChellaston AcademyWilsthorpe SchoolIveshead School
The trust
Castle Donington College is one of 24 schools run by East Midlands Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 51.3 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 114 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 76% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
5.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is East Midlands Parkway Rail Station, about 3.4 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Castle Hill (opposite), 330 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Castle Donington College issued 72 suspensions, 10.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Castle Donington College are St Edward's Church of England Primary School (under 0.1 miles), Orchard Community Primary School (0.3 miles), Hemington Primary School (0.8 miles) and Foxbridge Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Edward's Church of England Primary SchoolOrchard Community Primary SchoolHemington Primary SchoolFoxbridge 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); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are polite, friendly and outgoing. Most pupils are happy at school. There is a keen sense of community. This helps pupils feel safe and secure. They know that there are always adults around to help them if they need support.
All pupils follow an ambitious curriculum. The school has high expectations of every pupil's achievement and behaviour. The motto, 'Work hard. Take responsibility. Be kind', sums up the school's philosophy well. Most pupils meet the school's high expectations. They apply themselves well in lessons. Pupils' behaviour is typically good. They understand what bullying is and how to report it. Many pupils say that the school deals with bullying quickly and effectively.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has a broad, ambitious curriculum. This develops pupils' understanding of their subjects carefully over time. In history, for example, pupils learn about Medieval Africa first, so that they have a solid background for their later work on the slave trade. However, the proportion of pupils taking the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite of qualifications is lower than the government's ambition. To address this, the school is increasing the number of pupils taking a modern foreign language at GCSE, so that the EBacc is at the heart of the curriculum.
Teachers have good subject knowledge. Most teachers use effective methods and resources so that pupils learn the curriculum as the school intends. However, in a small number of instances, the checks made on pupils' understanding are not as effective as they could be. This makes it difficult for teachers to know how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum and to identify any knowledge gaps that pupils may have.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2019 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
19.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.27 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 44.1 to 46.7 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 39% to 52% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 46.7 | 51.8% |
| Disadvantaged(27) | - | 27.5 | 14.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(110) | - | 51.4 | 60.9% |
| Boys(78) | - | 41.7 | 46.2% |
| Girls(59) | - | 53.4 | 59.3% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(6) | - | 42.5 | 33.3% |
| Non mobile(135) | - | 47.3 | 52.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 2 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 114 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.15%
Exclusion rate
72
Suspensions
10.53%
Suspension rate
31 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 684 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Castle Donington College
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Castle Donington College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Castle Donington College is in Leicestershire; for families living there:
- Leicestershire's school travel policy: Mainstream School Transport for 5 to 16 year olds
- How to apply: Request for school transport on medical grounds form PDF, 359.48 KB Opens new window
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
4 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 Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 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 Castle Donington College
Will you get a place at Castle Donington College? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Castle Donington College's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Castle Donington College:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Castle Donington College.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leicestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Castle Donington College for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leicestershire 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
91%
Near capacity
683 pupils
750 places
67 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Derby
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Derby
Across Leicestershire council
Places available
8,516
Applications
7,490
Got 1st preference
90.2%
Got preferred school
98.1%
All secondary applications across Leicestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
89
SEN Support
28
EHC Plans
17.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
684
Total Pupils
336
Boys
348
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
37
Teachers
18.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,509
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,664
Per pupil
£4790k
Total funding
£133k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.2%
Overall absence
19.4%
Persistent absence
692
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
Questions parents ask about Castle Donington College
What are GCSE results like at Castle Donington College?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Castle Donington College achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46.7. 52% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Castle Donington College's Ofsted rating?
Castle Donington College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Castle Donington College?
No fixed boundary. When Castle Donington College is oversubscribed, Leicestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Castle Donington College?
Castle Donington College was not full in 2025: it ran at 91% of its 750 places.
How big are the classes at Castle Donington College?
Classes at Castle Donington College average 26.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Castle Donington College?
Castle Donington College has around 684 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Castle Donington College?
8.2% of sessions were missed at Castle Donington College in 2024/25. 19.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Castle Donington College?
Apply through Leicestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Castle Donington College 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 Castle Donington College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 4 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 Leicestershire is 3 (the median across 329 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Castle Donington College?
Castle Donington College is at Mount Pleasant, Castle Donington, Derby, Derbyshire, DE74 2LN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)