Cavendish Close Infant School

Overall, Cavendish Close Infant School is performing at the expected standard in most areas, with particular strengths in early years provision, inclusion and personal development. Pupils feel safe, cared for and part of a welcoming community, and behaviour is calm and positive. Attendance is improving because of focused work with families, though recent gains are not yet reflected in published data. The school serves a context with above-average deprivation, and the proportion of pupils with SEN support is well above average; leaders provide strong pastoral and inclusive support, including for vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. However, two important areas need attention. Curriculum and teaching are not consistently strong across all subjects: in some subjects pupils do not secure key knowledge, sometimes recall activities rather than important information, and errors or vocabulary gaps are not always addressed promptly. Leadership and governance also need attention because governors do not always receive sufficiently precise and timely information about performance, including for different groups, which limits their ability to provide well-informed support and challenge. The inspection identified next steps to ensure governors receive timely, precise and well-evaluated information, and to ensure the curriculum is implemented consistently well with appropriate assessment and well-matched tasks so pupils secure and remember key knowledge across all subjects. Safeguarding standards are met.

Strengths

• Ambitious, well-designed curriculum with a clear focus on what pupils should know and be able to do.
• Strong early years provision that prioritises communication, language, physical development and early reading.
• Effective phonics and reading support, with books matched closely to pupils' phonics learning.
• Precise support for pupils with SEND, including those with additional social, emotional and mental health needs.
• Inclusion is embedded in daily life, with vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils supported to access the curriculum and attend well.
• Calm and positive behaviour, with clear routines and respectful relationships.
• Pupils feel safe, welcomed and supported by staff who know them well.
• Broad personal development opportunities through visits, clubs, special events and the school council.
• Positive relationships with parents and the wider community, helping families overcome barriers.
• Staff feel supported and valued, with well-aligned professional development and manageable workload.
• Attendance is improving through focused work with families and early identification of concerns.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent across subjects, so pupils do not secure key knowledge consistently.
• Pupils sometimes recall activities rather than the important information they need to learn.
• Pupils' errors are not always addressed promptly.
• Some pupils lack confidence in using key vocabulary identified by leaders.
• Some pupils do not learn aspects of the curriculum in sufficient depth.
• Governors do not always receive timely, precise and well-evaluated information about performance, including for different groups.
• This limits governors' ability to ask suitably targeted questions and provide well-informed challenge.
• Overall absence was above the national average in 2024/25, although it is improving.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Cavendish Close Infant School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Cavendish Close Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Cavendish Close Infant School had 24.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 18.1% of pupils at Cavendish Close Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Cavendish Close Infant School received £7,308 and spent £7,011 for each of its 279 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £394,000 (£1,414 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Derby · Derby local authority: places and applications

What is Cavendish Close Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cavendish Close Infant School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Cavendish Close Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cavendish Close Infant School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Cavendish Close Infant School have?

Cavendish Close Infant School has 287 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cavendish Close Infant School cover?

Cavendish Close Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Cavendish Close Infant School?

Cavendish Close Infant School is at Wood Road, Chaddesden, Derby, Derbyshire, DE21 4LY.