Granville Academy, Swadlincote

In its own words: "Our vision is best summed up by the Academy's vision statement which shows that Granville is committed to: Ensuring that all the children and young people in our care have the opportunity to fulfil their potential through achieving highly, regardless of their ability or background."

From the headteacher's welcome: "You will be able to read about the underpinning values and ethos that make Granville Academy a fantastic choice for families in our local community. In developing our students on their pathway to excellence, we are guided by our simple values statement 'Work hard, Be kind, Choose Wisely'."

In 2026, pupils at Granville Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.2 in Derbyshire and 47 across England.

49% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Derbyshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 46.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.24: 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 39.5, against 48.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 203 families put Granville Academy as their first choice and 312 named it as one of their preferences, for 182 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 24 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Granville Academy are The Pingle Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.4); Mercia Academy (1.9 miles, Attainment 8 38.7); Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic Voluntary Academy (3.3 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 47); and Ivanhoe School (3.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.5).

Granville Academy's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Granville Academy is one of 7 schools run by Affinity Learning Partnership, an academy trust.

83 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Granville Academy (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 84% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (92%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (74%).

Of the 161 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 53% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

37.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Granville Academy.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Granville Community School (adjacent), 100 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 136 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Granville Academy issued 79 suspensions, 8.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Granville Academy are Eureka Primary School (0.4 miles), Belmont Primary School (0.6 miles), Three Trees CofE Junior Academy (0.7 miles) and Three Trees Infant Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.