Alvaston Junior Academy

Alvaston Junior Academy is a generally inclusive and well-led school that is meeting expected standards in most areas of its work. Safeguarding is effective, pupils are happy and behave well, attendance is in line with national averages, and leaders have built a calm, supportive culture. The school’s inclusion hub is a notable strength, providing skilled and bespoke support for pupils with SEND, and staff adapt teaching well for pupils with additional needs. Leaders have improved the curriculum, teaching consistency and personal development since the last inspection, and the trust provides effective support and challenge. The main concern is achievement. Historically, outcomes at the end of Year 6 have been below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, including for disadvantaged pupils, and disadvantaged pupils’ gaps remain substantial. Current pupils are beginning to achieve better, particularly in mathematics, but improvements need time to become fully embedded and sustained. Pupils’ written work is not consistently strong across the curriculum, and some pupils in the early stages of reading are not progressing as quickly as they should because phonics teaching is not consistently well developed. The school benefits from strong leadership, positive staff morale and improving relationships with parents. Pupils’ personal development is well supported through a broad programme, enrichment activities and opportunities for responsibility. Overall, the school has a clear improvement trajectory, but continued focus is needed on raising outcomes for all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, and on strengthening early reading and writing across the curriculum.

Strengths

• Safeguarding has an open and positive culture, with all legal requirements met.
• Attendance is consistently in line with national averages, and leaders provide appropriate support for pupils who need it.
• Pupils behave positively around school and in lessons, and playtimes are generally calm and happy.
• Staff apply the school’s behaviour principles consistently and feel well supported by leaders.
• The well-sequenced INSPIRE curriculum is tailored to pupils’ needs and established across subjects.
• Teaching is consistent, teachers have secure subject knowledge and misconceptions are corrected quickly.
• Staff adapt teaching effectively for pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning.
• The revised mathematics curriculum has improved teaching and pupils’ mathematical knowledge and skills.
• The Marvellous Mammoths inclusion hub provides effective, bespoke support and meaningful wider participation.
• Leaders identify barriers quickly and use pupil premium funding wisely to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language settle quickly and receive skilled support.
• Leadership, governance and trust support are strong, with consideration for staff workload and wellbeing.
• The personal development programme is broad and well considered, covering safety, wellbeing and healthy relationships.
• Pupils take on responsibilities and benefit from a wide range of enrichment activities.
• Pupils are respectful, culturally aware and prepared as informed young citizens.
• Parents speak positively about recent changes and the school’s more open culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Historic Year 6 achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has been consistently below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ achievement has been below national averages, with large gaps remaining in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils’ written work is not consistently strong across the curriculum.
• Some pupils in the early stages of reading are not developing as quickly as they should.
• Not all staff have received training in how to teach phonics, and phonics knowledge is not consistently applied.
• Improvements to achievement need more time to become fully embedded and sustained for all pupils.

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 Alvaston Junior Academy attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.8% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Alvaston Junior 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 Alvaston Junior Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.9% 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, 22.1% of pupils at Alvaston Junior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 10 pupils.

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 Alvaston Junior Academy received £7,105 and spent £7,834 for each of its 335 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £468,000 (-£1,397 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of The Harmony Trust Ltd, income was £7,256 and spending £7,263 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

Alvaston Junior Academy is part of The Harmony Trust Ltd, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Lakeside Primary Academy Derby
• Cottons Farm Primary Academy Derby
• Village Primary Academy Derby
• Cavendish Close Junior Academy Derby
• Ash Croft Primary Academy Derby
• Carlyle Infant and Nursery Academy Derby
• Reigate Park Primary Academy Derby
• Hackwood Primary Academy Derby
• Greenfield Primary Academy Cheshire
• Alt Academy Oldham

What is Alvaston Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Alvaston Junior Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Alvaston Junior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Alvaston Junior Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Alvaston Junior Academy have?

Alvaston Junior Academy has 326 pupils on roll.

What age range does Alvaston Junior Academy cover?

Alvaston Junior Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Alvaston Junior Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 41% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Alvaston Junior Academy?

Alvaston Junior Academy is at Elvaston Lane, Alvaston, Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 0PU.