Derby Cathedral School
Great Northern Road, Derby, DE1 1LR
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DERBY DIOCESAN ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Andy Brown
- Diocese
- Diocese of Derby
- Sponsor
- Derby Diocesan Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Derby North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,260
- Pupils on roll
- 1,159
- URN
- 143734
- Local authority
- Derby
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01332325710
About this school
Derby Cathedral School is a Church of England secondary academy in Derby. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 1,159 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 167 | 178 | 178 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.4 | 40.5 | 41.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.41 -0.63 to -0.19 | -0.69 -0.91 to -0.47 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 30% | 34.3% | 35.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 56.2% | 57.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 61% | 39.3% | 57.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Derby Cathedral School 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 | 41.4 | 37.3 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 40.5 | 37.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41.5 | 38.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 877 |
| 2023/24 | 1,006 |
| 2024/25 | 1,145 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Derby Cathedral School compares
Derby Cathedral School ranked 9th of 16 secondary schools in Derby for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 44% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41.5 | 6.2% | 54.4% | 1,159 | — |
| Landau Forte College | 55.4 | 6.1% | 37.2% | 1,272 | 0.9 miles |
| UTC Derby Pride Park | 42 | 8.1% | 39.9% | 534 | 1.5 miles |
| Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy | 45.3 | 7.2% | 31.8% | 1,465 | 1.5 miles |
| Murray Park Community School | 40.6 | 9% | 35.5% | 1,277 | 1.6 miles |
| Derby Moor Spencer Academy | 47.7 | 7.5% | 38.6% | 1,740 | 2.0 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)
- 54.36%
- English as an additional language
- 25.8%
- Overall absence
- 6.22%
- Persistent absence
- 16.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Landau Forte College0.9 miles
Secondary · Derby
-
UTC Derby Pride Park1.5 miles
Secondary · Derby
-
Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Derby
-
Murray Park Community School1.6 miles
Secondary · Derby
-
Derby Moor Spencer Academy2.0 miles
Secondary · Derby
Other schools in Derby
Derby Cathedral School ranks 11th of the 18 ranked secondary schools in Derby.
- Allestree Woodlands School Secondary
- Alvaston Moor Academy Secondary
- Castle Donington College Secondary
- Chellaston Academy Secondary
- City of Derby Academy Secondary
- Da Vinci Academy Secondary
- Derby Moor Spencer Academy Secondary
- John Port Spencer Academy Secondary
- Landau Forte College Secondary
- Lees Brook Academy Secondary
- Littleover Community School Secondary
- Murray Park Community School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Derby Cathedral School teach?
- Derby Cathedral School teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in Derby.
- Who is the headteacher of Derby Cathedral School?
- The headteacher of Derby Cathedral School is Mr Andy Brown, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Derby Cathedral School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Derby Cathedral School, 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 Derby Cathedral School?
- Derby Cathedral School has 1,159 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Derby Cathedral School full?
- Derby Cathedral School has capacity for 1,260 pupils and 1,159 on roll (92%), 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 Derby Cathedral School a faith school?
- Yes. Derby Cathedral School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Derby.
- Who runs Derby Cathedral School?
- Derby Cathedral School is part of DERBY DIOCESAN ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Derby Cathedral School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.4 in 2022/23 and 41.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Derby Cathedral School rank locally?
- Derby Cathedral School ranked 9th of 16 secondary schools in Derby for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 44% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Derby Cathedral School's absence rate?
- Derby Cathedral School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Derby Cathedral School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Derby Cathedral School'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 10 July 2026.