Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School

About Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School

Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School in Derby has been rated Good overall in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. The school’s most telling exam metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard attainment: 75% of pupils reached this benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year. That places the school well above the Derby local authority average of 55% for primary schools, and ranks it 6th out of 58 primaries in the area — comfortably inside the top 25% nationally. In individual subjects, 85% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 83% in maths, and 83% in writing. The school also performs strongly at the higher standard, with 35% of pupils achieving that level in reading and 32% in maths. These results suggest a school that is delivering solid academic outcomes across the board, particularly in the core subjects.

The Ofsted inspection in May 2024 confirmed the school remains Good and is improving, with leadership and management, early years provision, and behaviour and attitudes all rated Good. The previous graded inspection in 2011 had rated the school Requires Improvement overall, so the trajectory is clearly upward. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, but the attainment data tells a clear story: Walter Evans is a strong performer within Derby. Its ranking score of 75 puts it just behind top local peers like Griffe Field Primary School (84) and Gayton Junior School (81). The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Lawn Primary School, about a kilometre away. With 450 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 112 applications for 59 places, with 56 offers made to first-preference applicants — an oversubscription ratio of 1.9.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, a library, and a forest school, plus a chapel reflecting its Church of England foundation. Sports on offer include tennis, cricket, football, dance, athletics, gymnastics and netball, while clubs range from film and gardening to choir, book club and coding. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Nursery provision is available for children from age three. With a low percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (5%), the school serves a relatively advantaged catchment. This is a good fit for families seeking a well-regarded, oversubscribed primary with strong academic results, a Christian character, and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities in the Derby area.

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