Inkersall Spencer Academy

Inkersall Spencer Academy is a happy and nurturing primary and nursery school that is performing at the expected standard across the areas inspected, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils feel safe, attend well and behave positively, and they benefit from caring staff, strong pastoral support and a calm school environment. The school is larger than average and serves a community with high levels of disadvantage: free school meals and special educational needs support are well above national averages, and the local area is relatively deprived. The school is part of The Spencer Academies Trust. Leadership and governance are notable strengths. Leaders understand the school and its community, act decisively to support vulnerable pupils and improve attendance, and have strengthened early years, reading, mathematics and writing. Disadvantaged pupils are supported effectively, many pupils with SEND make positive progress, and parents speak highly of the school. Pupils benefit from a broad personal development offer, including clubs, residential visits, careers activities and opportunities to take on responsibilities. The main concerns are inconsistencies in teaching and support. Some teachers do not check pupils' learning thoroughly enough or adapt activities when pupils are confused or develop misconceptions. Older pupils still have gaps in handwriting, spelling and punctuation, and there has been a decline in multiplication knowledge that leaders are working to address. For some pupils with SEND, barriers to learning are not identified precisely enough, and adaptations do not always align with underlying needs, which can slow longer-term progress. Pupils' knowledge of different faiths and cultures and depth of understanding around British values is also slightly limited.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and well cared for in a nurturing school.
• Attendance is strong, with absence and persistent absence typically lower than national averages.
• Pupils behave well, are friendly and polite, and show positive attitudes to learning.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with clear understanding and decisive action.
• Early years provision is well designed and improving children's readiness for learning.
• Inclusion support for vulnerable pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, is effective.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is broad, well considered and supported by strong pastoral care.
• Reading and phonics teaching is effective overall.
• Improvements to the mathematics and writing curriculum are evident.
• Staff are well supported, committed and benefit from professional development aligned to school priorities.
• Parents and carers speak highly of the school and feel valued.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality varies, and some staff do not check pupils' learning robustly enough.
• Teachers do not always adapt teaching or activities when pupils are confused or develop misconceptions.
• Older pupils have persistent gaps in handwriting, spelling and punctuation.
• Pupils' knowledge of multiplication has declined, although daily arithmetic practice is helping.
• Barriers to learning for some pupils with SEND are not identified precisely enough.
• Some SEND adaptations do not align fully with pupils' underlying barriers, slowing longer-term progress.
• Pupils' knowledge of different faiths and cultures and depth of understanding around British values is slightly limited.
• On occasion, pupils' understanding of their current learning is insecure.

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 Inkersall Spencer Academy attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.7% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Inkersall Spencer Academy 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 Inkersall Spencer Academy had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.9% 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, 24.6% of pupils at Inkersall Spencer Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% 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 2024–25 Inkersall Spencer Academy received £6,823 and spent £7,020 for each of its 377 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £337,000 (-£895 per pupil).

Across all 27 schools of The Spencer Academies Trust, income was £7,619 and spending £7,638 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chesterfield · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Inkersall Spencer Academy is part of The Spencer Academies Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• Heanor Gate Spencer Academy Heanor
• Arnold Hill Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Glenbrook Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Portland Spencer Academy Nottingham
• St Giles' Spencer Academy Derby
• Fairfield Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Sunnyside Spencer Academy Nottingham
• George Spencer Academy Nottingham
• Brackensdale Spencer Academy Derby
• Castleward Spencer Academy Derby

What is Inkersall Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Inkersall Spencer Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Inkersall Spencer Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Inkersall Spencer Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Inkersall Spencer Academy have?

Inkersall Spencer Academy has 378 pupils on roll.

What age range does Inkersall Spencer Academy cover?

Inkersall Spencer Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Inkersall Spencer Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Inkersall Spencer Academy?

Inkersall Spencer Academy is at Inkersall Green Road, Inkersall, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 3SE.