Derby Cathedral School

Derby Cathedral School, which opened in September 2018, has recently undergone its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school has established a good quality of education, supported by a strong focus on core values and ambitious curriculum design. While positive relationships exist between staff and students, challenges remain in ensuring all pupils receive the required support and feedback to excel in their learning, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Overall, the leadership team demonstrates a commitment to improving the school environment and educational outcomes.

Strengths

• Leaders promote the school's FAITH values effectively.
• Pupils have positive relationships with staff.
• Behaviour in lessons is calm and respectful.
• The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum.
• Subject leaders have designed effective curriculums.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge.
• There is a strong focus on reading development.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding effectively.
• Some pupils do not consistently demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.
• A small number of pupils struggle with punctuality.

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 Derby Cathedral School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 16.1% 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, 5.6% of pupils at Derby Cathedral 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 Derby Cathedral School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.3% 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, 13.5% of pupils at Derby Cathedral School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.2% 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 2024–25 Derby Cathedral School received £8,504 and spent £8,103 for each of its 1,147 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,174,000 (£1,024 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, income was £7,661 and spending £7,414 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). 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 Derby · Derby local authority: places and applications

Derby Cathedral School is part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• Firs Primary School Derby
• Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery Derby
• Derby St Chad's CofE Nursery and Infant School Derby
• Arboretum Primary School Derby
• Hardwick Primary School Derby
• St James' Church of England Aided Junior School Derby
• St Peter's Church of England Aided Junior School Derby
• Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School Derby
• Griffe Field Primary School Derby
• St Werburgh's CofE Primary School Derby

What is Derby Cathedral School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Derby Cathedral School is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was Derby Cathedral School last inspected by Ofsted?

Derby Cathedral School was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does Derby Cathedral School have?

Derby Cathedral School has 1,159 pupils on roll.

What age range does Derby Cathedral School cover?

Derby Cathedral School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Derby Cathedral School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.7, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Derby Cathedral School?

Derby Cathedral School is at Great Northern Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE1 1LR.