Castleward Spencer Academy
Canal Street, Derby, DE1 2RJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE SPENCER ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lindsay Trail
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Spencer Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Derby South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 236
- Pupils on roll
- 179
- URN
- 148585
- Local authority
- Derby
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01332949471
About this school
Castleward Spencer Academy is a primary academy in Derby. It teaches children aged 3 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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Castleward 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 | 2.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54 |
| 2023/24 | 118 |
| 2024/25 | 148 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Castleward Spencer Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.2% | 22% | 179 | — |
| St James' Church of England Aided Infant School | — | 5.5% | 34.4% | 129 | 0.4 miles |
| Rosehill Infant and Nursery School | — | 10% | 46.4% | 196 | 0.5 miles |
| St James' Church of England Aided Junior School | 46% | 8.1% | 61.5% | 299 | 0.5 miles |
| Zaytouna Primary School | 56% | 4.1% | 58.7% | 417 | 0.6 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy | 59% | 4.2% | 20.2% | 375 | 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)
- 22.03%
- English as an additional language
- 65.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.2%
- Persistent absence
- 4.9%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St James' Church of England Aided Infant School0.4 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Rosehill Infant and Nursery School0.5 miles
Primary · Derby
-
St James' Church of England Aided Junior School0.5 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Zaytouna Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Derby
-
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy0.7 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 Castleward Spencer Academy teach?
- Castleward Spencer Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Derby.
- Who is the headteacher of Castleward Spencer Academy?
- The headteacher of Castleward Spencer Academy is Mrs Lindsay Trail, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Castleward Spencer Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Castleward 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 Castleward Spencer Academy?
- Castleward Spencer Academy has 179 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Castleward Spencer Academy full?
- Castleward Spencer Academy has capacity for 236 pupils and 179 on roll (76%), 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 Castleward Spencer Academy a faith school?
- No. Castleward Spencer Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Castleward Spencer Academy a selective school?
- No. Castleward Spencer Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Castleward Spencer Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Castleward Spencer Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Castleward Spencer Academy?
- Castleward 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 Castleward Spencer Academy's absence rate?
- Castleward Spencer Academy's overall absence rate is 3.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Castleward 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 Castleward 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.