Murray Park Community School

Murray Park Community School is a larger-than-average community secondary school with 1,210 pupils, a well-above-average proportion of pupils receiving SEN support, and around 35.5% eligible for free school meals. Safeguarding standards are met. Overall, the school is performing at a strong standard, with personal development and wellbeing judged strong and the other evaluated areas meeting expected standards. The school is inclusive and community-focused. Pupils typically enjoy school, feel safe and behave well. Leaders have developed a well-designed personal development programme, strong pastoral support, a broad and well-sequenced curriculum, and a comprehensive careers programme. Pupils with SEND achieve well and are well supported, disadvantaged pupils are helped to overcome barriers, attendance has improved, and pupils are generally prepared for their next steps. However, some weaknesses remain. Published examination outcomes have sometimes been below national averages, and some pupils have gaps in essential knowledge, particularly in reading and handwriting, with support not consistently provided. Teaching is not consistently high quality across all subjects. Leaders do not always evaluate the impact of their actions swiftly or robustly, including for attendance, behaviour, and alternative provision, which can slow pupils' progress.

Strengths

• Purposeful and well-designed personal development and wellbeing programme.
• Pupils understand fundamental British values and respect differences.
• Pupils feel they belong in a community school.
• Pupils are taught how to stay safe online and in the physical world.
• Comprehensive careers programme is personalised for SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Broad extra-curricular programme with barriers to access addressed.
• Caring and highly responsive pastoral support.
• Pupils with SEND achieve well and are well supported.
• Pupils learn the curriculum well and remember more over time.
• High expectations for all pupils, including those with barriers to learning.
• Additional English and mathematics support and a wider key stage 4 offer.
• Attendance has improved, including for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils behave well, are polite and take pride in their work.
• Broad, balanced and well-sequenced curriculum.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and generally check understanding well.
• Inclusive ethos with quick identification of pupil needs.
• Governors challenge and support leaders effectively.
• Pupils feel safe, attend well, and bullying is rare and dealt with effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• External examination outcomes have sometimes been below national averages.
• Some pupils have gaps in essential knowledge, including writing.
• Pupils with gaps in reading and handwriting do not consistently receive needed support.
• Teaching is not consistently high quality across each subject.
• Leaders sometimes do not act swiftly enough to review and adapt attendance and behaviour strategies.
• Leaders do not always robustly analyse the impact of improvement strategies.
• The impact of alternative provision is not checked carefully enough.
• Gaps in pupils' essential knowledge are not addressed consistently.
• Additional support for attendance and behaviour is not always reviewed for impact and adapted.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes remain below national non-disadvantaged levels, despite progress.

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 Murray Park Community School attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 7.3% of pupils at Murray Park Community School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Murray Park Community School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 27.2% of pupils at Murray Park Community School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Murray Park Community School received £7,915 and spent £7,918 for each of its 1,277 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £102,000 (£79 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is Murray Park Community School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Murray Park Community School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Murray Park Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Murray Park Community School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Murray Park Community School have?

Murray Park Community School has 1,277 pupils on roll.

What age range does Murray Park Community School cover?

Murray Park Community School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Murray Park Community School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.0, and 44% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Murray Park Community School?

Murray Park Community School is at Murray Road, Mickleover, Derby, Derbyshire, DE3 9LL.