Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School
Green Lane, Dronfield, S18 2FZ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Martyn Cooper
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- North East Derbyshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,809
- Pupils on roll
- 1,810
- URN
- 112969
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01246412372
About this school
Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School is a voluntary controlled secondary school in Dronfield. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,810 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 292 | 300 | 289 |
| Attainment 8 score | 50.2 | 50.9 | 50.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.02 -0.19 to +0.14 | +0.08 -0.08 to +0.24 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 57% | 55.7% | 52.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 75% | 73.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 65% | 59.7% | 54.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Derbyshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50.2 | 41.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.9 | 41.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 50 | 40.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,868 |
| 2023/24 | 1,881 |
| 2024/25 | 1,854 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School compares
Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School ranked 8th of 45 secondary schools in Derbyshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 76% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50 | 8.5% | 19.7% | 1,810 | — |
| Meadowhead School Academy Trust | 46 | 9.2% | 36.5% | 2,006 | 1.7 miles |
| Whittington Green School | 40.8 | 7.8% | 45.9% | 682 | 2.8 miles |
| Newfield Secondary School | 47.9 | 7.5% | 36.1% | 1,048 | 3.2 miles |
| King Ecgbert School | 56.1 | 5.5% | 21.2% | 1,575 | 3.2 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy | 59.4 | 5.9% | 17.4% | 1,400 | 3.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
- 11 July 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report17 November 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.68%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 8.52%
- Persistent absence
- 21.99%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Meadowhead School Academy Trust1.7 miles
Secondary · Sheffield
-
Whittington Green School2.8 miles
Secondary · Chesterfield
-
Newfield Secondary School3.2 miles
Secondary · Sheffield
-
King Ecgbert School3.2 miles
Secondary · Sheffield
-
St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy3.4 miles
Secondary · Chesterfield
Other schools in Dronfield
- Barlow CofE Primary School Primary
- Dronfield Infant School Primary
- Dronfield Junior School Primary
- Dronfield Stonelow Junior School Primary
- Gorseybrigg Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Holmesdale Infant School Primary
- Lenthall Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Northfield Junior School Primary
- Penny Acres Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's CofE Methodist (Aided) Primary School Primary
- Unstone Junior School Primary
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School teach?
- Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Dronfield.
- Who is the headteacher of Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School?
- The headteacher of Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School is Mr Martyn Cooper, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School?
- Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School has 1,810 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School full?
- Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School has capacity for 1,809 pupils and 1,810 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School a faith school?
- No. Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School has no designated religious character.
- Is Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School a selective school?
- No. Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 50.2 in 2022/23 and 50 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School compare with other schools in Derbyshire?
- Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School ranked 8th of 45 secondary schools in Derbyshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 76% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School's absence rate?
- Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School's overall absence rate is 8.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.