St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy
Alvaston Street, Alvaston, Derby, DE24 0PA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST RALPH SHERWIN CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Graham Lobb
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Nottingham
- Sponsor
- St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Derby South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 230
- Pupils on roll
- 179
- URN
- 138514
- Local authority
- Derby
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01332572154
About this school
St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Derby. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 179 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 34 | 34 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 35% | 61% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 68% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 50% | 61% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 85% | 74% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Derby average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68% | 53.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 35% | 54.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 61% | 55.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 203 |
| 2023/24 | 195 |
| 2024/25 | 183 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy compares
St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 28th of 60 primary schools in Derby for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 61% | 5.1% | 20.2% | 179 | — |
| Alvaston Junior Academy | 41% | 5.5% | 42.1% | 326 | 0.3 miles |
| Alvaston Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.2% | 42.6% | 348 | 0.3 miles |
| Wyndham Spencer Academy | 63% | 5.8% | 32.8% | 452 | 0.6 miles |
| Oakwood Infant and Nursery School | — | 8% | 32.9% | 296 | 0.7 miles |
| Oakwood Junior School | 60% | 6.8% | 51% | 340 | 0.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 20.22%
- English as an additional language
- 33.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.13%
- Persistent absence
- 17.55%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Alvaston Junior Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Alvaston Infant and Nursery School0.3 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Wyndham Spencer Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Oakwood Infant and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Oakwood Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Derby
Other schools in Derby
St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy ranks 42nd of the 86 ranked primary schools in Derby.
- Akaal Primary School Primary
- Allenton Primary School Primary
- Alvaston Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Alvaston Junior Academy Primary
- Arboretum Primary School Primary
- Ash Croft Primary Academy Primary
- Ashbrook Infant School Primary
- Ashbrook Junior School Primary
- Ashgate Primary School Primary
- Ashwood Spencer Academy Primary
- Asterdale Primary School Primary
- Aston-on-Trent Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy teach?
- St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Derby.
- Who is the headteacher of St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- The headteacher of St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is Mr Graham Lobb, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy has 179 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy full?
- St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy has capacity for 230 pupils and 179 on roll (78%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Nottingham.
- Who runs St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of ST RALPH SHERWIN CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 61% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy rank locally?
- St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 28th of 60 primary schools in Derby for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.