Allestree Woodlands School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,373 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.5
Free schools
Derby Cathedral School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,159of 1,260 places
- Free school meals
- 56.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 178
- Ofsted
- Good, 17 January 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 167 pupils who finished Year 11 at Derby Cathedral School in 2023, 41% stayed on in Derby Cathedral School’s own sixth form (Derby average 28%), 41% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Spanish is unusually popular at GCSE: 57% of the year group took it, against 19% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.5 against 46.1 across England and 42.2 in Derby, with 35% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
A level grades average C, below the England average of B-. The largest A level subjects are Psychology, Biology and Mathematics.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Derby and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Derby Cathedral School | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 167 | 3,329 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 87% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 83% | 80% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 41% | 28% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 3% | 13% |
| — further education college | 41% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 5% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Derby Cathedral School | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.5 | 42.2 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 35% | 39% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 59% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 57% | 35% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.81 | 3.72 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 47% | 36% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.4 | 32.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.9 | 47.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 26% | 23% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature | 177 | 99% | 86% | 7% | 21% | 59% |
| Mathematics | 177 | 99% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 67% |
| English Language | 177 | 99% | 89% | 12% | 20% | 60% |
| History | 117 | 66% | 41% | 15% | 26% | 53% |
| Combined Science | 116 | 65% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 48% |
| Spanish | 102 | 57% | 19% | 10% | 27% | 44% |
| Geography | 61 | 34% | 41% | 2% | 25% | 36% |
| Business Studies | 58 | 33% | 18% | 10% | 20% | 48% |
| Biology | 58 | 33% | 23% | 14% | 45% | 84% |
| Chemistry | 55 | 31% | 23% | 13% | 47% | 91% |
| Physics | 55 | 31% | 23% | 11% | 46% | 82% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 36 | 20% | 8% | 17% | 21% | 75% |
| Computer Science | 25 | 14% | 13% | 4% | 30% | 12% |
| Music | 24 | 13% | 5% | 4% | 33% | 25% |
| Physical Education | 23 | 13% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 35% |
| Religious Studies | 21 | 12% | 31% | 19% | 32% | 67% |
| Fine Art | 18 | 10% | 9% | 22% | 28% | 100% |
| Drama | 11 | 6% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 36% |
| Polish | 7 | 4% | 1% | 100% | 84% | 100% |
| Art and Design | 3 | 2% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 52 | 60% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | 23% | — |
| Sports Studies | 13 | 15% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 5 | 6% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Derby Cathedral School | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 252 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 87 | 1,095 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 29.13 | 34.12 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 39 | 45% | 23% |
| Biology | 22 | 25% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 20 | 23% | 31% |
| Sociology | 19 | 22% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 13 | 15% | 2% |
| History | 13 | 15% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 12 | 14% | 17% |
| Computer Science | 10 | 11% | 5% |
| Physics | 9 | 10% | 12% |
| Fine Art | 7 | 8% | 3% |
| Spanish | 6 | 7% | 2% |
| English Literature | 6 | 7% | 11% |
| Politics | 6 | 7% | 6% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 25 | 29% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 23 | 26% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 16 | 18% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 10 | 11% | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | 8 | 9% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 7% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Derby
Alvaston Moor Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 851 pupils
68% stayed in education · Attainment 8 32.4
Chellaston Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,790 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.2
City of Derby Academy
Academy sponsor led · 925 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.8
Da Vinci Academy
Academy sponsor led · 668 pupils
70% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.7
Derby Moor Spencer Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,740 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.7
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.