Castleward Spencer Academy

About Castleward Spencer Academy

Castleward Spencer Academy is a state primary school in Derby, one of only five schools in the local authority to hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, out of 74 primary schools in total. It sits alongside strong local peers such as Griffe Field Primary School, Gayton Junior School, and St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy, which rank highest in the area. The school is mixed, non-denominational, and serves children from age 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. Headteacher Lindsay Trail leads a relatively small school of 148 pupils against a capacity of 236, meaning there is room for growth. The school is notably oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 76 applications for 30 places, with 45 of those as first preferences. That works out at 2.53 applications per place, a clear sign of local demand. Just under a fifth of pupils (19.6%) are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average for primary schools.

Academically, Castleward Spencer Academy is performing at an exceptionally high level. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in July 2024, the school received the top grade of Outstanding across every single category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a clean sweep of Grade 1 judgements, which is rare. While the school does not publish Key Stage 2 SATs results in the data provided, the local authority average for KS2 attainment is 55, and given the Outstanding rating across the board, it is reasonable to expect that Castleward’s results sit well above that benchmark. The school has no sixth form, as it is a primary, but its early years provision is also rated Outstanding, which bodes well for children starting in nursery or Reception. The previous inspection history is not recorded, so this appears to be the school’s first graded inspection under its current academy status.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an outdoor playground, playing fields, a library, an ICT suite, and a sensory room, which supports its SEND provision. Castleward caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and multi-sensory impairment. This suggests a genuinely inclusive approach. Extracurricular life includes clubs for chess, coding, science, choir, and drama, while sports on offer are athletics, netball, football, cross country, and gymnastics. The school is clearly popular and oversubscribed, so families considering it should be prepared to apply early and list it as a first preference. It is a strong fit for families who want a small, high-performing primary with strong SEND support and a broad range of activities, all within a school that has been judged outstanding in every respect by Ofsted.

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