Highfields School
Upper Lumsdale, Matlock, DE4 5NA
1,298 pupils · 93% of 1,394 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- EAST MIDLANDS EDUCATION TRUST
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 26.5%
Ofsted
Standards maintained (2025) — Ungraded inspection — “Standards maintained” (no overall grade issued)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 8 January 2025, published 5 February 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 47 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 43.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 68.3% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 40.6% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 0.99 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 214 | 211 | 371 | 214 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 203 | 205 | 352 | 203 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 182 | 179 | 314 | 182 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 220 | 217 | 382 | 220 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 223 | 201 | 376 | 221 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Anthony Gell School 7.9 km · No Ofsted rating
- Tupton Hall School 9.3 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Brookfield Community School 10.4 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Parkside Community School 11.3 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- David Nieper Academy 11.7 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Outwood Academy Hasland Hall 11.8 km · Good (2023) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.