Cavendish Close Junior Academy

About Cavendish Close Junior Academy

Cavendish Close Junior Academy in Derby has turned a corner. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in 2022, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. That is a significant improvement from its previous inspection in 2016, when it was rated Inadequate across the board. The most telling exam metric for this 7-11 primary is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. At 56%, that figure sits just one percentage point above the Derby local authority average of 55%. It places the school 26th out of 58 primaries in the area, putting it in the bottom half of the local league table but not far from the middle of the pack.

Digging into the 2023/24 KS2 results, the picture is mixed. In reading, 68% of pupils hit the expected standard, with an average score of 103, and 20% reached the higher standard. Writing saw 72% at expected and 9% at the higher level. Maths was slightly weaker: 68% at expected, with an average score of 102 and 14% reaching the higher standard. Only 2% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Nationally, the school ranks in the 66th percentile, and within the East Midlands it sits in the 62nd percentile. For context, the top-performing local primaries like Griffe Field and Gayton Junior score in the 80s on the ranking metric, so there is a gap to the best in the area. Still, the school has moved decisively out of its previous inadequate category and is now performing broadly in line with the local average.

The school has capacity for 360 pupils but currently enrols 300, so there is some room. It serves a community where 34.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Facilities include a sports hall, music rooms, a dining hall, a sensory room and a chapel. The sports programme covers rounders, gymnastics, athletics, cricket and netball, and there are clubs for chess, coding and art. SEND provision is a clear strength, with support for moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication difficulties, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families looking for a Good-rated primary that has improved sharply from a low base, offers strong SEND support and is not oversubscribed, Cavendish Close Junior Academy is a practical option worth considering.

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