Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School

Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School is a small primary in the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust that has high expectations for all pupils and realizes its aim for pupils to 'grow, believe and succeed'. Pupils achieve highly across the curriculum, including in national assessments at the end of key stage 2, and they are well mannered, respectful and inclusive. Behaviour is positive, relationships between staff and pupils are strong, and pupils feel well known and cared for. The school is well led and managed, with senior leaders, the local academy board and the trust working harmoniously together, and staff report a supportive 'happy family' culture. The curriculum is well organised in most subjects, reading is prioritised and phonics is taught effectively, and children get a positive start in the early years. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is carefully identified and well supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Personal development is a particular strength: pupils learn about British values, protected characteristics and a wide range of experiences, and are very well prepared for life beyond the school. There are a small number of areas for improvement. In some subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the precise knowledge pupils should learn and remember, so pupils' recall is less secure. Beyond phonics, the reading curriculum also lacks clarity about what should be taught and in what order, which makes it harder to check learning and affects how securely some pupils build reading knowledge over time. This was the school's first routine section 5 inspection, and, as with all graded inspections from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• High expectations for all pupils, reflected in strong achievement across the curriculum
• Pupils are well mannered, respectful, inclusive and supportive of one another
• Positive behaviour and hard work are celebrated consistently
• Strong, harmonious leadership across the school, local academy board and trust
• Staff well-being and workload are well considered, and staff are proud to work at the school
• The curriculum is well organised in most subjects and prepares pupils well for what comes next
• Reading is prioritised and phonics is taught effectively, with quick support for pupils who fall behind
• Children make a positive start in a calm, nurturing early years environment
• Pupils with SEND are carefully identified and well supported in lessons
• Personal development provision is exemplary and prepares pupils very well for life in modern Britain
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the precise content pupils should learn and remember, so recall is less secure
• Beyond phonics, the reading curriculum lacks clarity about what pupils should know and achieve at each stage and in what order
• The lack of clarity in the reading curriculum makes it difficult to check how well pupils have learned and affects some pupils' progression over time

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 Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.4% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School 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 Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School had 21.4 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, 9.3% of pupils at Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School received £7,874 and spent £7,604 for each of its 94 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £106,000 (£1,127 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 · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School is part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School have?

Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School has 107 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School cover?

Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School?

Sale and Davys Church of England Primary School is at Twyford Road, Barrow-on-Trent, Derby, Derbyshire, DE73 7HA.