Derby Cathedral School
- Secondary
- Free schools
- Ages 11 to 19
- Church of England
URN 143734 · Derby · DERBY DIOCESAN ACADEMY TRUST
Inspection
Ofsted management information, as at 30 September 2026.
Latest graded inspection
17 January 2023Overall effectiveness
Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding is effective
- Yes
Full inspection (section 5)
Under the earlier framework, inspections gave an overall effectiveness grade.
Read the reports on Ofsted’s website. Source: Ofsted, State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information.
Attendance
Against Derby and England, secondary schools.
Overall absence
2024/256.2%
- Derby
- 8.4%
- England
- 8.4%
2.2 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 5.8% | 5.5% |
| 2018/19 | 4.0% | 5.4% | 5.5% |
| 2020/21 | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.5% |
| 2021/22 | 9.1% | 8.8% | 9.0% |
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 9.0% | 9.0% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 8.8% | 8.9% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
Sessions missed for any reason, as a share of all possible sessions in the school year. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Persistent absence
2024/2516.1%
- Derby
- 23.8%
- England
- 23.4%
7.3 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 15.5% | 13.9% |
| 2018/19 | 9.2% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 2020/21 | 13.0% | 15.1% | 14.8% |
| 2021/22 | 31.9% | 27.5% | 27.7% |
| 2022/23 | 25.3% | 27.4% | 26.5% |
| 2023/24 | 21.3% | 26.5% | 25.6% |
| 2024/25 | 16.1% | 23.8% | 23.4% |
Pupils who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Severe absence
2024/252.4%
- Derby
- 3.5%
- England
- 3.9%
1.5 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| 2018/19 | 0.5% | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| 2020/21 | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| 2021/22 | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| 2022/23 | 3.8% | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| 2023/24 | 2.9% | 3.1% | 3.8% |
| 2024/25 | 2.4% | 3.5% | 3.9% |
Pupils who missed 50% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Suspensions and permanent exclusions
Against Derby and England, secondary schools.
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2024/259.78
- Derby
- 18.80
- England
- 21.24
11.46 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 10.65 | 10.13 |
| 2018/19 | 0.00 | 14.75 | 10.75 |
| 2019/20 | 6.72 | 8.93 | 7.43 |
| 2020/21 | 10.17 | 6.82 | 8.48 |
| 2021/22 | 10.48 | 15.03 | 13.96 |
| 2022/23 | 10.95 | 23.43 | 18.90 |
| 2023/24 | 11.53 | 25.27 | 22.61 |
| 2024/25 | 9.78 | 18.80 | 21.24 |
Suspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. One pupil can be suspended more than once. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
2024/250.00
- Derby
- 0.18
- England
- 0.23
0.23 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 0.31 | 0.20 |
| 2018/19 | 0.00 | 0.34 | 0.20 |
| 2019/20 | 0.00 | 0.09 | 0.13 |
| 2020/21 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.10 |
| 2021/22 | 0.00 | 0.08 | 0.16 |
| 2022/23 | 0.00 | 0.09 | 0.22 |
| 2023/24 | 0.00 | 0.12 | 0.25 |
| 2024/25 | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.23 |
Permanent exclusions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Key stage 4 results
Against Derby and England, secondary schools.
Attainment 8
2025/26 (provisional)43.7
- Derby
- 43.8
- England
- 47.4
3.7 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 46.4 | 49.8 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 43.8 | 47.2 |
| 2023/24 | 40.5 | 43.3 | 46.9 |
| 2024/25 | 41.5 | 43.8 | 47.1 |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 43.7 | 43.8 | 47.4 |
The average of pupils' points across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 4 or above
2025/26 (provisional)63%
- Derby
- 60%
- England
- 66%
3 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 63% | 70% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 60% | 67% |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 60% | 67% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 61% | 66% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 63% | 60% | 66% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 5 or above
2025/26 (provisional)39%
- Derby
- 39%
- England
- 48%
9 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 43% | 51% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 40% | 46% |
| 2023/24 | 34% | 41% | 47% |
| 2024/25 | 35% | 40% | 47% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 39% | 39% | 48% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
Pupils
Against Derby and England, secondary schools.
Eligible for free school meals
2024/2547.0%
- Derby
- 32.8%
- England
- 25.8%
21.2 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 33.7% | 24.8% | 20.9% |
| 2022/23 | 36.6% | 27.3% | 22.7% |
| 2023/24 | 42.7% | 29.7% | 24.1% |
| 2024/25 | 47.0% | 32.8% | 25.8% |
Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals on census day in January. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
SEN support
2024/2512.8%
- Derby
- 13.1%
- England
- 13.4%
0.6 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 10.5% | 12.3% | 11.9% |
| 2022/23 | 12.8% | 12.3% | 12.4% |
| 2023/24 | 11.1% | 12.3% | 12.9% |
| 2024/25 | 12.8% | 13.1% | 13.4% |
Pupils receiving special educational needs support without an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Education, health and care plan
2024/252.0%
- Derby
- 3.2%
- England
- 3.1%
1.1 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 1.3% | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| 2022/23 | 1.4% | 2.8% | 2.4% |
| 2023/24 | 2.1% | 2.9% | 2.7% |
| 2024/25 | 2.0% | 3.2% | 3.1% |
Pupils with an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
First language other than English
2024/2525.8%
- Derby
- 22.4%
- England
- 19.2%
6.6 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 13.9% | 20.8% | 17.5% |
| 2022/23 | 16.6% | 20.7% | 18.1% |
| 2023/24 | 21.0% | 22.2% | 18.6% |
| 2024/25 | 25.8% | 22.4% | 19.2% |
Pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Teachers
Against Derby and England, secondary schools.
Pupils per qualified teacher
2025/2618.3
- Derby
- 17.3
- England
- 17.3
1.0 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 17.4 | 16.5 |
| 2018/19 | 16.1 | 17.1 | 16.8 |
| 2019/20 | 23.2 | 17.3 | 17.2 |
| 2020/21 | 19.7 | 17.5 | 17.1 |
| 2021/22 | 19.4 | 16.9 | 17.1 |
| 2022/23 | 19.0 | 17.4 | 17.2 |
| 2023/24 | 19.3 | 17.9 | 17.4 |
| 2024/25 | 18.4 | 17.2 | 17.3 |
| 2025/26 | 18.3 | 17.3 | 17.3 |
Full-time equivalent pupils for each full-time equivalent qualified teacher. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2025/26.
Teacher sickness absence
2024/256.7 days
- Derby
- 5.8 days
- England
- 5.0 days
1.7 days higher than England.
Compared with all state-funded schools: DfE publishes this measure for all schools, not by phase.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Derby | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 5.4 days | 4.0 days |
| 2018/19 | 1.8 days | 5.0 days | 4.0 days |
| 2019/20 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2020/21 | 6.8 days | 4.8 days | 3.9 days |
| 2021/22 | 7.1 days | 7.1 days | 6.3 days |
| 2022/23 | 5.1 days | 5.6 days | 5.2 days |
| 2023/24 | 5.3 days | 6.3 days | 5.3 days |
| 2024/25 | 6.7 days | 5.8 days | 5.0 days |
Days lost to sickness absence in the school year, averaged across all teachers. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2024/25.
Finance
Academies report their accounts as part of their trust, so DfE publishes no school-level balance for this school. The trust’s figures are in DfE’s Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.
See this school in the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool
About the school
- Pupils on roll
- 1,159
- Capacity
- 1,260
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11 to 19
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DERBY DIOCESAN ACADEMY TRUST
- Opened
- 3 September 2018
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Constituency
- Derby North
- Deprivation of the area (IDACI)
- Decile 2 of 10 (1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods)
Address: Great Northern Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE1 1LR
Website: www.derbycathedralschool.org.uk
Telephone: 01332325710
Sources and corrections
Every figure on this page names its source and period. This release was built on 20 October 2026.
- Department for Education: Get Information about Schools: establishment data (GIAS establishment extract 2026-10-20)
- Ofsted: State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information (Latest inspections as at 2026-09-30; All inspections, 2018/19; All inspections, 2019/20; All inspections, 2020/21; All inspections, 2021/22; All inspections, 2022/23; All inspections, 2023/24; All inspections, 2024/25; All inspections, 2025/26)
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Pupil absence in schools in England (absence-3term-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England (exc-school, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-geography, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-geography, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 2 attainment (ks2-school, 2022/23 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; ks2-geography, 2015/16 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 4 performance (ks4-school, 2023/24 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ks4-geography, 2018/19 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Schools, pupils and their characteristics (School census, January 2022 (performance tables, 2021 to 2022); School census, January 2023 (performance tables, 2022 to 2023); School census, January 2024 (performance tables, 2023 to 2024); School census, January 2025 (performance tables, 2024 to 2025))
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: School workforce in England (ptr-school, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ptr-geography, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; sickness-school, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; sickness-geography, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English indices of deprivation 2025: Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (English indices of deprivation 2025, File 7 (2021 LSOAs))
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