Castleward Spencer Academy, Derby
Castleward Spencer Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Derby, part of The Spencer Academies Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. For 2026 entry it had 1.4 first-choice applications for every place. It was 56% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derby (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Castleward Spencer Academy in detail
Getting a place at Castleward Spencer Academy
For September 2026 entry, 43 families put Castleward Spencer Academy as their first choice and 65 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 14 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Castleward Spencer Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Castleward Spencer Academy are St James' Church of England Aided Infant School (0.4 miles, Good); Rosehill Infant and Nursery School (0.5 miles, Good); St James' Church of England Aided Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 64% reading, 61% maths); and Zaytouna Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 67% reading, 70% maths).
St James' Church of England Aided Infant SchoolRosehill Infant and Nursery SchoolSt James' Church of England Aided Junior SchoolZaytouna Primary School
The trust
Castleward Spencer Academy is one of 27 schools run by The Spencer Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
15.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 65.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (44%), Asian (23%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 44 pupils (24.6%) received SEN support and 10 (5.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Derby Rail Station, about 250 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Calvert Street (adjacent), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Castleward Spencer Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1113 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Derby (267), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Castleward Spencer Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Castleward Spencer Academy are UTC Derby Pride Park (0.4 miles), Landau Forte College (0.7 miles) and Derby Cathedral School (1.1 miles).
UTC Derby Pride ParkLandau Forte CollegeDerby Cathedral School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Castleward Spencer Academy is a haven for all pupils. As soon as the doors open each morning they start to learn. Leaders are passionate that each and every pupil will experience success. They have crafted their curriculum with exceptional care because of the diverse nature of the school. They respond intelligently to the ever-changing needs of the pupils that this new school serves.
The school's expectations for pupils' behaviour are second to none. Leaders take time to understand how pupils are feeling. Pupils learn to describe their emotions and have a range of strategies at their fingertips to help them when they do not feel ready to learn. Pupils trust the adults in school because they show high levels of care for them. They are happy, safe and secure. Respectful relationships are prioritised and are the firm foundation on which the school's success is built.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders have a strong moral purpose to provide the best education they can for pupils. They have designed a broad and rich curriculum. It sets out precisely what pupils will learn. Pupils develop their knowledge step by step resulting in a deeper understanding of each subject over time. For example, in art and design, Year 1 pupils learn to mix secondary colours with paint before using these skills to produce eye-catching plates in the style of the artist Clarice Cliff.
The school prioritises communication and personal and social development. They know that many pupils have poor speech and language skills and find it hard to interact with their peers. This is addressed from the first day in school. Children in the early years get off to a fantastic start. Adults in the nursery class model language and play well. Children repeat what they have seen the adults doing. They pretend to wave a magic wand, tell each other to be lions and then shout, 'freeze!' Children in the early years make remarkable progress from their starting points.
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
15.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Castleward Spencer Academy
Before and after school care
Castleward Spencer Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Derby
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Castleward Spencer Academy.
- Junior Adventures Group @ Castleward DE1At the school · Not yet graded
- DWICA230m away · Not yet graded
- Kip McGrath Derby North590m away · Not yet graded
- Just for Us out of hours club850m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Castleward Spencer Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Castleward Spencer Academy is in Derby; for families living there:
Apply to Derby for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 94
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 19
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 94 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 19 serious and 74 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
19 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Derby is 24 (the median across 119 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Castleward Spencer Academy
Will you get a place at Castleward Spencer Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Castleward Spencer Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Castleward Spencer Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Castleward Spencer Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derby, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Castleward Spencer Academy for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derby got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
56%
Available places
117 pupils
210 places
93 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Derby
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Derby
Across Derby council
Places available
3,564
Applications
2,643
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Derby council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
30.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
179
Total Pupils
94
Boys
85
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
25.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,220
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,948
Per pupil
£1137k
Total funding
£37k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.2%
Overall absence
4.9%
Persistent absence
102
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Castleward Spencer Academy
Questions parents ask about Castleward Spencer Academy
What is Castleward Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?
Castleward Spencer Academy was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024.
What is the catchment area for Castleward Spencer Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Castleward Spencer Academy is oversubscribed, Derby allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Castleward Spencer Academy?
Castleward Spencer Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 56% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Castleward Spencer Academy?
Classes at Castleward Spencer Academy average 28 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Castleward Spencer Academy?
Castleward Spencer Academy has around 179 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Castleward Spencer Academy?
3.2% of sessions were missed at Castleward Spencer Academy in 2024/25. 4.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Castleward Spencer Academy?
Apply through Derby's coordinated admissions process, naming Castleward Spencer Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Castleward Spencer Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Castleward Spencer Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Junior Adventures Group @ Castleward DE1 (registered, not yet graded). There are 3 more within a kilometre.
How many road collisions happen near Castleward Spencer Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 94 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 19 serious and 74 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 19 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Derby is 24 (the median across 119 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Castleward Spencer Academy?
Castleward Spencer Academy is at Canal Street, Derby, DE1 2RJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)