Aldercar High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 648 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.9
Academy converter
Highfields School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,298of 1,394 places
- Free school meals
- 26.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 202
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained, 8 January 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Highfields School (URN 112950, until 1 January 2021).
What the data says
Of the 206 pupils who finished Year 11 at Highfields School in 2023, 49% stayed on in Highfields School’s own sixth form (Derbyshire average 34%), 35% went to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 96 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 70% went to university (Derbyshire 42%, England 37%), and 37% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 24% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.0 against 46.1 across England and 45.0 in Derbyshire, with 43% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 Derbyshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Highfields School | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 206 | 7,796 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 85% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 49% | 34% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | 5% | 13% |
| — further education college | 35% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Highfields School | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 96 | 3,774 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 85% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 70% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 37% | 21% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 14% | 27% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 11% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Highfields School | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.0 | 45.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 43% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 68% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 41% | 30% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.20 | 3.92 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 26% | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.1 | 34.0 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.6 | 49.2 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 6% | 4% | 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 Language | 200 | 99% | 89% | 25% | 20% | 82% |
| Mathematics | 198 | 98% | 88% | 15% | 22% | 71% |
| English Literature | 196 | 97% | 86% | 24% | 21% | 82% |
| Combined Science | 119 | 59% | 65% | 5% | 9% | 43% |
| History | 83 | 41% | 41% | 29% | 26% | 58% |
| Geography | 78 | 39% | 41% | 24% | 25% | 65% |
| Physics | 75 | 37% | 23% | 37% | 46% | 87% |
| Biology | 75 | 37% | 23% | 39% | 45% | 91% |
| Chemistry | 75 | 37% | 23% | 35% | 47% | 85% |
| Business Studies | 55 | 27% | 18% | 7% | 20% | 56% |
| Spanish | 53 | 26% | 19% | 34% | 27% | 58% |
| Photography | 49 | 24% | 6% | 10% | 19% | 61% |
| Fine Art | 46 | 23% | 9% | 13% | 28% | 43% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 37 | 18% | 8% | 8% | 21% | 46% |
| German | 33 | 16% | 5% | 39% | 33% | 79% |
| Computer Science | 28 | 14% | 13% | 11% | 30% | 68% |
| Physical Education | 27 | 13% | 11% | 7% | 24% | 44% |
| French | 25 | 12% | 18% | 44% | 29% | 64% |
| Design and Technology | 21 | 10% | 11% | 10% | 23% | 52% |
| Film Studies | 20 | 10% | 1% | 15% | 20% | 80% |
| Drama | 18 | 9% | 7% | 39% | 27% | 83% |
| Music | 18 | 9% | 5% | 33% | 33% | 78% |
| Russian | 4 | 2% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Chinese | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Studies | 39 | 37% | — |
| Sports Studies | 24 | 23% | — |
| Tourism | 16 | 15% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Highfields School | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 212 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 106 | 2,363 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.23 | 32.99 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 19% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 30 | 28% | 31% |
| Biology | 25 | 24% | 20% |
| Physics | 25 | 24% | 12% |
| Sociology | 24 | 23% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 23 | 22% | 17% |
| English Language | 22 | 21% | 4% |
| Psychology | 19 | 18% | 23% |
| D and T Engineering | 17 | 16% | 0% |
| English Literature | 16 | 15% | 11% |
| Film Studies | 11 | 10% | 2% |
| History | 11 | 10% | 13% |
| Spanish | 11 | 10% | 2% |
| Geology | 9 | 8% | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | 8 | 8% | 5% |
| Music | 8 | 8% | 0% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 6% | 3% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 12% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 9% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 8 | 8% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Geography | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Geology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Music | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Geography | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Geology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Music | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Derbyshire
Anthony Gell School
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Belper School and Sixth Form Centre
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Brookfield Community School
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Buxton Community School
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82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.6
Chapel-en-le-Frith High School
Community school · 941 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.8
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.