The Mease Spencer Academy

The Mease Spencer Academy is showing overall good performance across various domains, with particularly outstanding achievements in personal development. The school has high ambitions for its pupils, underpinned by its core values of resilience, enjoyment, family, lifelong learning, and communication. Despite being recently established and a first-time inspection, the school has created a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and engaged in their learning. They receive a robust education that combines a well-structured curriculum and exceptional personal development initiatives that prepare them well for future challenges.

Strengths

• High ambitions for pupil development
• Strong personal development programs
• Excellent support for pupils with SEND
• Effective early reading instruction
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils
• Well-designed curriculum that meets pupil needs
• Strong staff training and subject knowledge

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent systems for addressing rising pupil numbers
• Curriculum monitoring needed for upper year groups
• A small number of pupils show insufficient engagement in learning

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 The Mease Spencer Academy attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at The Mease 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 The Mease Spencer Academy had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 11.4% of pupils at The Mease Spencer Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 The Mease Spencer Academy received £6,801 and spent £7,234 for each of its 180 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £167,000 (-£926 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 South Derbyshire · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

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

• Hilton Spencer Academy Derby
• John Port Spencer Academy Derby
• Highfields Spencer Academy Derby
• Derby Moor Spencer Academy Derby
• Brackensdale Spencer Academy Derby
• Ashwood Spencer Academy Derby
• Castleward Spencer Academy Derby
• Chellaston Fields Spencer Academy Chellaston
• Wyndham Spencer Academy Derby
• St Giles' Spencer Academy Derby

What is The Mease Spencer Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Mease Spencer Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was The Mease Spencer Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Mease Spencer Academy was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does The Mease Spencer Academy have?

The Mease Spencer Academy has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Mease Spencer Academy cover?

The Mease Spencer Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is The Mease Spencer Academy?

The Mease Spencer Academy is at Carsington Road, Hilton, DE65 5LX.