St Edward's Catholic Academy

About St Edward's Catholic Academy

St Edward's Catholic Academy is a state primary in South Derbyshire that is currently running above its official capacity, with 243 pupils on roll against a published capacity of 236. The school serves a community with above-average economic disadvantage: 24% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared with the national average of around 23% for primary schools. The school is clearly in demand. For the 2025/26 intake, it received 46 applications for 28 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.64 applicants per place. All 28 first-preference applicants were offered a spot, which suggests that while the school is popular, families who put it first have a strong chance of getting in. The school has a Roman Catholic religious character and is led by headteacher Kay Methven. It also offers nursery provision for children from age three, which may be a practical draw for local families looking for continuity from early years through to Year 6.

Academically, St Edward's sits in the middle of the pack locally. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 55% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is slightly below the Derbyshire local authority average of 59%. The school ranks 17th out of 30 primary schools in South Derbyshire on this measure, placing it in the bottom half of the local league table. Looking at individual subjects, reading and writing both saw 71% of pupils meeting the expected standard, while maths was lower at 58%. Higher-standard attainment was modest: just 3% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 103 in maths, both close to the national benchmark of 100. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in January 2025, confirmed that standards were being maintained, and the school retains its overall Good rating from the previous graded inspection in 2019.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, sports hall, library, ICT suite, chapel and playing fields, plus clubs covering drama, book club, choir, science, art and film. Sports on offer include football, cricket, swimming and athletics. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent feedback from the most recent Parent View survey (28 responses) was broadly positive: 86% would recommend the school, and 93% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. However, a notable minority expressed concerns around how concerns are dealt with and communication about their child's progress. This is a faith-based primary that is oversubscribed but accessible to first-preference applicants, and it suits families who value a Catholic setting with a broad extracurricular offer and a clear SEND support structure.

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