Ash Croft Primary Academy

Ash Croft Primary Academy has demonstrated a strong performance overall, marking its first inspection since becoming an academy. With leaders setting high expectations for pupils, the school fosters a positive and respectful environment that encourages personal development. The curriculum is effectively designed, enabling pupils to acquire key knowledge and skills, particularly in reading and phonics, where dedicated teaching methods yield positive results. The school is committed to supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring their inclusion and success in the curriculum. However, there are a few foundation subjects where the curriculum plans require further refinement to enhance clarity and continuity in learning.

Strengths

• Leaders have high expectations of pupils.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils.
• Effective curriculum development prioritizing key knowledge.
• Strong early years provision promoting independent learning.
• Good support for pupils with SEND.
• Strong focus on personal development and respect for diversity.
• High quality phonics teaching leading to positive attitudes towards reading.

Areas for Improvement

• Some foundation subjects lack precise identification of key knowledge.
• Assessment in certain subjects is less effective due to unclear teaching objectives.

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 Ash Croft Primary Academy attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.5% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Ash Croft Primary 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 Ash Croft Primary Academy had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.5% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Ash Croft Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 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 Ash Croft Primary Academy received £7,253 and spent £7,344 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £264,000 (£1,266 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

Ash Croft Primary Academy is part of The Harmony Trust Ltd, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Ash Croft Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ash Croft Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2022.

When was Ash Croft Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ash Croft Primary Academy was last inspected in October 2022.

How many pupils does Ash Croft Primary Academy have?

Ash Croft Primary Academy has 208 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ash Croft Primary Academy cover?

Ash Croft Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Ash Croft Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Ash Croft Primary Academy?

Ash Croft Primary Academy is at Deep Dale Lane, Sinfin, Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 3HF.