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.
Key Details
The full report on this school
The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.
- Ofsted inspection in plain EnglishStrengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
- Parent View survey resultsWhat parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
- Where Ofsted and parents disagreeGaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
- Admissions & catchmentAdmission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
- Nearby schools comparedBackup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
- Attendance & behaviour dataPersistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
9 Jul 2024Source: Ofsted, 18 Sept 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
School day
Teaching hours
08:55 – 15:25
Breakfast club
07:30-08:55
After-school care
15:25-18:00
Source: castlewardspencer.org.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
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