Highfields Spencer Academy
Tutbury Avenue, Littleover, Derby, DE23 3UX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Brooke McCulloch
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Spencer Academies Trust
- Constituency
- South Derbyshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 266
- Pupils on roll
- 258
- URN
- 147869
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01332955599
About this school
Highfields Spencer Academy is a primary academy in Derby. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 258 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. 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
Trends over time
How Highfields Spencer 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 183 |
| 2023/24 | 197 |
| 2024/25 | 233 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highfields Spencer Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4% | 27.4% | 258 | — |
| Griffe Field Primary School | 83% | 4.1% | 8.8% | 459 | 0.6 miles |
| Carlyle Infant and Nursery Academy | — | 5.5% | 23.8% | 182 | 1.1 miles |
| Brookfield Primary School | 65% | 4.1% | 19.7% | 238 | 1.2 miles |
| Gayton Junior School | 78% | 5.5% | 34.8% | 359 | 1.2 miles |
| St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy | 75% | 3.7% | 24.3% | 341 | 1.2 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)
- 27.36%
- English as an additional language
- 23.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.04%
- Persistent absence
- 8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Griffe Field Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Carlyle Infant and Nursery Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Brookfield Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Gayton Junior School1.2 miles
Primary · Derby
-
St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Derby
Other 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 Highfields Spencer Academy teach?
- Highfields Spencer Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Derby.
- Who is the headteacher of Highfields Spencer Academy?
- The headteacher of Highfields Spencer Academy is Miss Brooke McCulloch, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Highfields Spencer Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highfields Spencer 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 Highfields Spencer Academy?
- Highfields Spencer Academy has 258 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Highfields Spencer Academy full?
- Highfields Spencer Academy has capacity for 266 pupils and 258 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Highfields Spencer Academy a faith school?
- No. Highfields Spencer Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Highfields Spencer Academy a selective school?
- No. Highfields Spencer Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Highfields Spencer Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Highfields Spencer Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Highfields Spencer Academy?
- Highfields Spencer Academy is part of THE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Highfields Spencer Academy's absence rate?
- Highfields Spencer Academy's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Highfields Spencer Academy publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Highfields Spencer Academy. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.