Located in Blenheim Drive, the school is taking a whole-child approach — one that recognises academic success is deeply connected to mental health, happiness, and a strong sense of belonging.
It has introduced a range of measures to build connection, confidence, and community – from when students arrive in Year 7, right the way to Sixth Form.
At the core of this is the role of the form tutor — a daily point of contact who knows each student as a person, not just a pupil. Daily check-ins with form tutors, personalised wellbeing goals, student-led conversations, and inclusive events all form part of Allestree Woodlands' mission to make every student feel part of the school’s community.
In the Sixth Form, the school has introduced new MAPS booklets — which stand for Mindset, Attitude, Purpose, and Strategy. These tools help students set personal goals and reflect not only on academic milestones but also on their emotional and personal development.
Catherine Mills, Head of Sixth Form, explained: “The students use these to reflect on their wellbeing goals — whether that’s improving sleep routines or building healthier habits like exercising. It’s about encouraging them to think critically about what helps them thrive, both in and outside the classroom.”
Student Ava, 17, said she had set some specific personal goals in her MAPS booklet.
“For my goal I put I wanted to read 10 pages of a fiction book before bed every night and drink three water bottles a day because I know reading can help me switch off before I sleep and I concentrate better when I’m hydrated.”
The school has also recently hosted in-person form tutor meetings, where students and parents sat down with tutors for focused conversations — not just about grades, but about the student’s wellbeing, friendships, interests, and progress as an individual.
Helen Curr, Head of Year 10, said: “These meetings felt much more personal — like the ones parents remember from primary school. The form tutor sees the student every day and understands their character, routines, and needs. That insight means we can support students in a more meaningful way.”
Students keep those same form tutors and groups throughout their time at school, a consistency which is appreciated by the young people.
Ava, who had her form tutor until sixth form, said: “My form tutor was everything in lower school. He always made time to speak to everyone yet when you spoke to him it felt so personal, and he really cared.”
And students are being empowered by playing a more active role in shaping school life. As part of Derby’s city-wide “Unmissable” attendance campaign, Allestree Woodlands launched a series of initiatives to explore what makes school a place young people want to be. Students across all year groups shared what they value most about school — with friendship, support, curiosity, and community emerging as recurring themes. Their responses were celebrated in uplifting assemblies that showcased the vibrancy of school life.
Asha, 15, held an assembly to share with the school more about her religion. “I talked about the celebration in India of Vaisakhi and about what we do as a family and talked about respecting and celebrating other cultures,” she said. The assembly was so well received that crowds of staff and students waited to talk to Asha afterwards to say what an inspiration the assembly had been.
Asha said: “That response was amazing. It made me feel that I can be myself, that everyone here is equal and I have that real sense of belonging.”
Staff are now building on that momentum, with plans to create more meaningful opportunities for student voice and leadership.
Jacob,16, joined Allestree Woodlands’ sixth form this academic year from another school and said this work had helped him feel immediately at home.
“I came from a really small village school where everybody knew each other and really cared about each other and were friendly and, to be honest, it’s not felt any different here, despite being a much bigger school,” he said.
Head teacher Gemma Penny said: “Allestree Woodlands is proud to be a place where wellbeing comes first. Students can achieve more when they are happy at school and fostering a sense of belonging is key to that happiness.”