Free sugars will not be retained at all by the column so in this way you will have no separation.
You can try using an amino column, like Aminex HPX-87H. They use an aqueous mobile phase and allow for resolution of sugars.
Derivatization is a process where you add a chromophore to your analyte to enhance its absorption properties so that you can detect your analyte at a very low concentration. Theoretically, it has nothing to do with with analyte seperation.
For your case, sugar is a highly polar compound. Reversed phase column which is hydrophobic in properties surely cannot retain any hydrophilic polar sugars and therefore provide no separation.
The best way is to use polar column like HILIC column or less hydrophobic column like C4 column or any other columns that have been suggested by our friends above.
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