Cavendish Close Junior Academy, Derby

Ofsted's report card from its 23 June 2026 inspection grades Cavendish Close Junior Academy on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "On the whole, and from a broad range of starting points, pupils achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have worked hard to bring about improvements in attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Across all subjects, the school's curriculum is well organised."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have a detailed understanding of the multiple barriers and vulnerabilities that pupils face."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision to develop pupils' ‘Aspirations, Collaboration and Experiences'."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school's personal development offer aims for pupils to ‘Believe, Achieve and Succeed', and it does this well."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "The school should ensure that teachers consistently check on how well pupils are getting on in lessons so that anyone who begins to fall behind is quickly identified and supported"; "Leaders should ensure that they carefully evaluate the impact that their pupil premium strategy has on disadvantaged pupils"; "Leaders should ensure that they use the full range of information that they have to evaluate the impact of the school's work over time".

In its own words: "Cavendish Close Junior Academy is an inclusive school where diversity is celebrated. Our aim is to create a positive and respectful school culture in which staff know and care about pupils in an environment that they feel safe."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, hockey, athletics, gymnastics, dance and choir.

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at Cavendish Close Junior Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 78% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 70% in Derby and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 68% in reading and 68% in maths in 2024.

Across Derby, 94% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.

In 2026, families in Derby lodged 312 appeals against primary school offers; 223 reached a hearing and 35 succeeded (15.7% of those heard).

The nearest other state primary schools to Cavendish Close Junior Academy are Cavendish Close Infant School (under 0.1 miles, Good); Chaddesden Park Primary School (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 61% maths); St Alban's Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 76% maths); and Parkview Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 93% reading, 93% maths).

Cavendish Close Junior Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

Cavendish Close Junior Academy is one of 17 schools run by The Harmony Trust Ltd, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

37.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 69 pupils (24%) received SEN support and 28 (9.7%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Spondon Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brookfield Avenue (opposite), 140 metres away.

In 2024/25, Cavendish Close Junior Academy issued 2 suspensions, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Cavendish Close Junior Academy are Lees Brook Academy (0.2 miles), Da Vinci Academy (1 mile) and West Park School (1.1 miles).