Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form:
Lees Brook Academy operates a Sixth Form with a total capacity of 120 students.
There is a minimum of 60 places available for Year 12 applicants of which 20 will be available for external applicants. This is the minimum number of places, which will be offered on an annual basis to eligible external applicants. If fewer than the reserved number of places for internal applicants are admitted, additional external students will be admitted until Year 12 meets its capacity.
Admission Arrangements:
Internal Applicants:
- A set number of places will be reserved for students already on roll at Lees Brook Academy.
External Applicants:
- A minimum of 20 places will be available for eligible external applicants.
- If fewer internal applicants are admitted than reserved, additional external students will be admitted until Year 12 reaches its capacity.
How to apply:
Applications should be submitted using the Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form application form, available on the Academy website or from the Sixth Form office. Applicants must provide details of their predicted grades and preferred courses.
- Deadline for on-time applications: 31st December 2026
- Late applications: Applications received after this date will be considered late and processed after all on-time applications, assessed against the published entry requirements and oversubscription criteria.
- Notification of outcome: Applicants will be informed of the outcome by email.
All applications will be considered fairly and consistently in line with published entry requirements and oversubscription criteria.
Consideration of applications:
To determine eligibility for admission, the Academy will publish specific criteria in relation to minimum entrance requirements for Year 12 based on GCSE grades or other measures of prior attainment. (Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form will also publish academic entry requirements for each course available based upon GCSE grades or other measures of prior attainment). These criteria will be the same for internal and external applicants and will be published in its prospectus and on its website.
Students who do not meet the entry requirements for their preferred course will be offered alternative courses, provided they meet the specific entry criteria for those courses.
Students, who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), naming Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form, will be admitted first, followed by looked after and previously looked after children. This will reduce the number of reserved places available for other applicants on a pro rata basis. Students with an EHCP naming Lees Brook Academy will be admitted through the EHCP consultation process with the Local Authority and are not subject to standard academic entry requirements. Courses for EHCP students will be allocated according to their individual abilities and learning needs to ensure they are placed on suitable and achievable programs.
Entry requirements:
Entry requirements into the Sixth Form vary according to the level of study:
- Level 3 (A level or equivalent) – 5 GCSE or equivalent qualifications at grade 4 including grade 4 in English Language and maths. Please refer to the Sixth Form course guide for further guidance on subject specific entry criteria.
- Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) – 5 GCSE or equivalent qualifications at grade 3 or above including English and maths.
- Level 1 – for students working between Entry Level 1 and Entry Level 2
Oversubscription criteria:
(see notes on pages 3 for definitions)
Oversubscription occurs when the academy receives more applications than places. The academy will apply the following criteria in these circumstances.
After the admission of students with a statutory right to a place at the Academy through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), naming Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form, the criteria will be applied in the order in which they are set out below.
a) Students who are 1looked after or who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order including children who were previously in state care outside of England and who ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
b) Other young people. In the event of over-subscription preference will be given to students who live nearest to the Academy using straight line *measurement from the young person’s home address to main external entrance door of Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form building, Morley Road, Derby, DE21 4QX.
*In the event that such a measure is identical to the nearest metre for two or more students and there are insufficient places available for both or all of them, the remaining place/s will be by random allocation using lots drawn by a person independent of the Academy.
Courses:
Students are offered a place in the Sixth Form, subject to meeting the entry requirements for their chosen courses. Allocation of places depends on course capacity and availability. Therefore, specific course placements will not be confirmed until enrolment day.
Students meeting the entry criteria for their preferred courses will be allocated places based on course capacity and, where oversubscribed, students will be enrolled on a first come first served basis.
Students who do not meet the entry criteria for their preferred course will be offered a suitable alternative course, where available, for which they meet the entry requirements.
Waiting List:
If students meet the entry criteria but a course is full, they will be placed on a waiting list in the order in which they meet the entry criteria. Students may enrol on an alternative course in the meantime. If spaces become available, students on the waiting list will be offered a place according to the published criteria.
Changes to students’ courses can be made throughout the first two weeks of term. If spaces become available on a course, students on the waiting list will be offered a place in the order in which students were placed on the waiting list.
Arrangements for appeal panels:
Where a student has been refused a place at Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form, they have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. The appeal process will be in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code published by the Department for Education. The decision of the appeal panel will be made in line with the School Admission Appeals Code and is binding on all parties.
Appeals should be submitted to the Independent Appeal Panel Clerk, c/o of Lees Brook Academy Sixth Form, Morley Road, Derby, DE21 4QX, within 20 school days of the refusal.
Late Applications:
Applications for Sixth Form places will be accepted up to the point of enrolment. Any application received after 1st January 2027 will be considered a late application.
Late applications will be processed after all on-time applications have been considered. All late applications will be assessed against the published entry requirements and oversubscription criteria to ensure that every applicant is treated fairly and consistently.
Notes:
1) Children in Public Care – A looked after or previously looked after child is:
a) in the care of a local authority or being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions in accordance with section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989, at the time of making an application to a school.
b) or a child who has been *adopted, placed under a **special guardianship order, or subject to a ***child arrangements order after being in care. This also extends to children who are considered to have been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of, or accommodated by, a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other care provider whose primary purpose is to benefit society.
*an adoption order refers to an order under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12, adoption orders), as well as children adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2002 (see section 46, adoption orders).
**Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).
***child arrangements orders are defined in Section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by Section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order.
2) Children of staff – The term staff child includes:
- a biological child of staff members;
- an adopted child of staff members;
- a stepchild* living in the same household as the member of staff, where the staff member’s spouse or civil partner is the child’s parent / legal guardian.
3) Children living in the catchment area – are children residing in a defined geographical area, which the Academy serves. Details of the academy’s defined catchment area can be found on the Derby City Council website.
https://maps.derby.gov.uk/webmap/Map.aspx?MapName=PublicMaps
A child will be considered ‘living in the catchment area’ if the child’s permanent place of residence which is deemed to be the residential property at which the child normally and habitually resides with the person or persons having parental responsibility for the child at the time of completion of the application form is within the catchment area designated for the academy. If a child’s parents live at separate addresses the child’s permanent place of residence will be whichever of the two addresses the child permanently spends at least 3 school nights i.e. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday each week. Addresses of other relatives or friends will not be considered as the place of residence even when the child stays there for all or part of the week. Proof of permanent residence (minimum 12 months tenancy agreement from the date of application in the case of rented accommodation) and other evidence from the court regarding parental responsibilities in these matters may be required. Where a child is resident at two addresses for an equal amount of time, the child’s permanent place of residence will be the address shown on the child benefit letter.
4) Sibling – The term sibling includes:
- a brother or sister who share the same parents
- a half-brother or half-sister, where two children share one common parent
- a stepbrother or stepsister, where two children are related by a parent’s marriage
- adopted or fostered children living in the same household under the terms of a Child Arrangement Order.
We do not consider these as siblings:
- cousins or other family relationships not included above
- siblings who at 1 September 2027 will not be registered pupils at the academy
Where applications are received for twins, triplets, or other children of multiple births, if one child from the multiple birth is allocated a place, all children from the same multiple birth will be offered a place. This may result in the Academy admitting above the published admission number.
Notes:
1) Children in Public Care – A looked after or previously looked after child is:
a) in the care of a local authority or being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions in accordance with section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989, at the time of making an application to a school.
b) or a child who has been *adopted, placed under a **special guardianship order, or subject to a ***child arrangements order after being in care. This also extends to children who are considered to have been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of, or accommodated by, a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other care provider whose primary purpose is to benefit society.
*an adoption order refers to an order under the Adoption Act 1976 (see section 12, adoption orders), as well as children adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2002 (see section 46, adoption orders).
**Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).
***child arrangements orders are defined in Section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by Section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order.
How to Respond
Comments can be submitted in the following ways:
Online Consultation Form: Archway Learning Trust – Admission Arrangements Consultation 2027/28 – Online form
Email: admissions@archwaytrust.co.uk
Post: Admissions Services Lead, Archway Learning Trust, Aspley Lane, Nottingham, NG8 5GY
Please clearly state on your response that it relates to Lees Brook Academy. All responses must be received by 5:00pm on 21 January 2026.