Holbrook School for Autism
Portway, Belper, DE56 0TE
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ESTEEM MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Joanne Howarth
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Sponsor
- Esteem Multi-Academy Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Amber Valley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 160
- Pupils on roll
- 170
- URN
- 146058
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01332880208
About this school
Holbrook School for Autism is a special academy in Belper. It teaches children aged 4 to 19 and has 170 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 14 | 13 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 7% | 23% | 25% |
| Expected standard in maths | 7% | 23% | 6% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 7% | 31% | 19% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 104.0 | 96.0 |
| Reading progress | -5.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -6.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 6 | 7 | 17 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
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 Holbrook School for Autism 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 | 0% | 58.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 140 |
| 2023/24 | 147 |
| 2024/25 | 160 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 53.85%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- Overall absence
- 10.62%
- Persistent absence
- 22.66%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Tuition Services Co Brookside School3.1 miles
Other types · Derby
-
Old Vicarage School3.5 miles
Independent schools · Derby
-
St Andrew's Academy3.7 miles
Academies · Derby
-
Include - St Matthews3.9 miles
Special schools · Derby
-
St Giles' Spencer Academy4.0 miles
Academies · Derby
Other schools in Belper
- Ambergate Primary School Primary
- Duffield the Meadows Primary School Primary
- Fritchley CofE (Aided) Primary & Nursery School Primary
- Heage Primary School Primary
- Herbert Strutt Primary School Primary
- Holbrook Church of England Primary School Primary
- Kilburn Junior School Primary
- Long Row Primary School Primary
- Milford Primary School Primary
- Pottery Primary School Primary
- St Elizabeth's Catholic Voluntary Academy Primary
- St John's CofE Primary School and Nursery Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Holbrook School for Autism teach?
- Holbrook School for Autism teaches children aged 4 to 19. It is a special school in Belper.
- Who is the headteacher of Holbrook School for Autism?
- The headteacher of Holbrook School for Autism is Headteacher Joanne Howarth, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Holbrook School for Autism last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Holbrook School for Autism, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Holbrook School for Autism?
- Holbrook School for Autism has 170 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 19.
- Is Holbrook School for Autism full?
- Holbrook School for Autism has capacity for 160 pupils and 170 on roll (106%), 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 Holbrook School for Autism a faith school?
- No. Holbrook School for Autism has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Holbrook School for Autism?
- Holbrook School for Autism is part of ESTEEM MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Holbrook School for Autism have?
- The schools register lists Holbrook School for Autism's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Holbrook School for Autism's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Holbrook School for Autism's absence rate?
- Holbrook School for Autism's overall absence rate is 10.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Holbrook School for Autism's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Holbrook School for Autism'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 10 July 2026.