The Mease Spencer Academy, Hilton
The Mease Spencer Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Hilton, part of The Spencer Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. It was 84% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
The Mease Spencer Academy in detail
Getting a place at The Mease Spencer Academy
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put The Mease Spencer Academy as their first choice and 77 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Mease Spencer Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Mease Spencer Academy are Hilton Spencer Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 85% maths); Egginton Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 40% reading, 50% maths); John of Rolleston Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 88% maths); and Etwall Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths).
Hilton Spencer AcademyEgginton Primary SchoolJohn of Rolleston Primary SchoolEtwall Primary School
The trust
The Mease 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.
What parents say
113 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Mease Spencer Academy (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (86%).
Who goes there
11.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (78%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 23 pupils (11.4%) received SEN support and 6 (3%) 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.
Staffing
The Mease Spencer Academy had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Tutbury & Hatton Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Mease Spencer Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 25 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50).
Suspensions and exclusions
The Mease Spencer Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
16.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
113 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with The Mease Spencer Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Mease Spencer Academy.
- Mac's ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
The Mease Spencer Academy is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Derbyshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Mease Spencer Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Mease Spencer Academy is in Derbyshire; for families living there:
- Derbyshire's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy 2026 to 2027 - 465KB
- How to apply: Apply for home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 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 The Mease Spencer Academy
Will you get a place at The Mease Spencer Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Mease Spencer Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Mease Spencer Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Mease Spencer Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Mease Spencer Academy for 2020 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derbyshire 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
84%
Available places
177 pupils
210 places
33 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hilton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hilton
Across Derbyshire council
Places available
9,875
Applications
7,189
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Derbyshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
14.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
202
Total Pupils
112
Boys
90
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
16.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,411
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,121
Per pupil
£1169k
Total funding
£45k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
7.2%
Persistent absence
152
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
The Mease Spencer Academy
Questions parents ask about The Mease Spencer Academy
What is The Mease Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Mease Spencer Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for The Mease Spencer Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Mease Spencer Academy is oversubscribed, Derbyshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Mease Spencer Academy?
The Mease Spencer Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at The Mease Spencer Academy?
Classes at The Mease Spencer Academy average 29 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to The Mease Spencer Academy?
The Mease Spencer Academy has around 202 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Mease Spencer Academy?
5% of sessions were missed at The Mease Spencer Academy in 2024/25. 7.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Mease Spencer Academy?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Mease 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 The Mease Spencer Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Mac's Club (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near The Mease Spencer Academy?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Mease Spencer Academy?
The Mease Spencer Academy is at Carsington Road, Hilton, DE65 5LX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)