The school is larger than the average-sized secondary school. Most students are White British. Very few students come from minority ethnic backgrounds or speak English as an additional language. The proportion of students known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals and for looked after children. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is over twice the national average. Within the school, there are specially resourced provisions for disabled students or those who have special educational needs. These include the Learning Support Base (LSB) which caters for 27 students with severe and moderate learning difficulties. There is also a designated specialist provision catering for students with autism, known as the Autism Resource Centre (ARC). The Pupil Support Centre caters for vulnerable students on a part-time basis. In addition, ‘The Gateway’ offers intensive behaviour support to Key Stage 3 students who are at risk of exclusion. Students attend these facilities for a varying amount of time alongside their usual lessons, according to their individual needs. The school manages a separate centre, ‘The Junction’, which is about a mile and a half away from the school. This centre offers alternative provision for students at risk of permanent exclusion or who find the large school environment difficult to cope with. Currently, a small number of students from the Pingle School and students from other local schools attend this additional provision. The school also accesses provision at the Newhall Support Centre, operated by the local authority, for students who are at risk of exclusion. Very small numbers of students attend other specialist off-site provision including the Sir John Moore Foundation, the Burton Alternative Resource Centre and Derby Pride Academy. In Key Stage 4, 42 students attend Burton and South Derbyshire College for a day a week to study a variety of work-related courses. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for students’ progress and attainment.