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State secondary · 11 to 19 · Mixed · Church of England · 1,159 pupils

Derby Cathedral School

Great Northern Road, Derby, DE1 1LR
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Ofsted: Good · January 2023Top 50% (8/16)Fewer first choices than places (2026)
School website ↗Google Maps ↗Directions ↗Ofsted reports ↗DfE results ↗Government register ↗

Summary

The key facts, in one place
GCSE (key stage 4) The league rank: the school's place among its council's schools of the same phase on the newest year's DfE results, the same rank as on the Schools map. In England: 2,036th of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Top 50%.
Top 50% (8/16)Rank among 16 Derby secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
See the Derby league table →
Inspection
Good, January 2023
Getting in
Not full for Year 7 2026
Results
-0.69 progress 8; 43.7 attainment 8
Size
1,159 pupils; 176 places a year; classes of 24
Faith
Church of England
Run by
Derby Diocesan Academy Trust
Type
Free schools
Ages
11 to 19 · Mixed
Strengths, and things to check
  • Sessions missed: 6.2%, against 7.9% in Derby.
  • Persistently absent: 16.1%, against 23.9% in Derby.
  • Progress 8: -0.69, against -0.16 in Derby.
  • We hold no offer-day distances for this school: ask the council how far places went.
Could your child get in?We hold no offer-day distances for this school yet. Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.Check a postcode ↓ Schools for usRank every school near you by the measures that matter to your family, each reason shown.Rank schools →

At a glance

Against Derby and England
This schoolDerbyEnglandHover or tap a bar for the figures
Academic
Progress 8How far pupils progressed between the end of primary school and GCSEs, against pupils across England who started at the same level. 0 is average; +0.5 means half a grade better in each subject.
-0.69
Worse than Derby
Attainment 8The average GCSE score across eight subjects, including English and maths counted twice. A grade 5 in all eight would score 50.
43.7
In line with Derby
English and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
39%
In line with Derby
Attendance and behaviour
Sessions missedHalf-day sessions missed, authorised or not, as a share of all sessions in the school year (DfE pupil absence). Lower is better.
6.2%
Better than Derby
Persistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
16.1%
Better than Derby
Suspensions per 100 pupilsSuspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Lower is better; one or two incidents move a small school a lot.
9.8
Better than Derby
Pupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
24.5
Context
Free school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
51%
Context
Pupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
18.3
Context
Demand for places
First choices per placeFamilies who put this school first, for each Year 7 place in 2026 (DfE applications and offers). Above 1 means more first choices than places.
0.9
More sought after than Derby
Derby and England: DfE's own averages for results. For the rest, the middle state secondary school of the same phase, from every school we hold, since DfE publishes no council figure we hold.Where these figures come from →
COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027

We hold no offer-day distances for this school yet. Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.

Free, no account needed. Your postcode is used for this check and not kept.

Offers

How far offers reached

How far away the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, as the council measures it. It changes every year with who applies: a record, not a promise. Children with a higher priority can be offered places from further away.

Year 7. Distance of the last child offered a place on offer day. What the last distance means →

Could you get in?Enter a home or postcode: we set it against every year's last offer and this school's rules.

Results

Quality

  • Good Ofsted · inspected 17 January 2023
  • Progress 8: -0.69 (England +0.01) (county -0.16) DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024
  • Attainment 8: 43.7 (England 47.4) (county 43.8) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • English and maths grade 5 or above: 39% (England 48%) (county 39%) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • Progress, set against pupils who started with the same results: well below average DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024

Results

MeasureThis schoolEnglandCouncilYear
Progress 8-0.69+0.01-0.162023/2024
Attainment 843.747.443.82025/2026
English and maths grade 5 or above39%48%39%2025/2026

Source: DfE school performance tables, 2023/2024, 2025/2026.

League table place

TableLeague rank
GCSE (key stage 4)Top 50% (8/16)
A level (16 to 18)(8/9)

Source: DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase.

Where leavers go

StageLeavers inPupilsIn a sustained placeOf which
After GCSEs2023/2417890%In education 80%; Apprenticeship 5.6%; Employment 3.9%
After GCSEs2022/2316790%In education 83%; Apprenticeship 4.2%; Employment 3.0%

Source: DfE, destination measures. A figure DfE hides for a small group is left out, not shown as nought. The newest year may be provisional.

Derby league tableEvery school of this phase in the council on these results.See the table →

Daily life and who goes there

Daily life

  • Absence: 6.2% of sessions missed; 16% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 9.7% and 29% DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level · 2024/25
  • Suspensions: 10 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 26); 0 permanent exclusions DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level · 2024/25
  • Classes average 24.5 pupils; 22% of classes have more than 30 DfE, school workforce and pupil census · 2025/26
  • 18.3 pupils for each teacher DfE, school workforce · November 2025
  • Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 153 m DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) · within 800 m
  • 82 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (0 fatal, 11 serious) DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years · 2021 to 2025
  • Air: nitrogen dioxide 12.9 µg/m³, PM2.5 7.5 (1 km square, background level) DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps · 2024

Absence

YearSessions missedAuthorisedUnauthorisedPupils missing 1 in 10Pupils missing 1 in 2
2024/256.2%4.0%2.2%16%2.4%
2023/247.4%3.8%3.6%21%2.9%
2022/238.5%4.4%4.1%25%3.8%
Schools with a similar intake9.7%29%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level, 2024-25. Similar intake: state schools of the same phase with free school meals in the same band (40% or more), the median of 758 schools.

Suspensions and exclusions

YearSuspensions per 100 pupilsPupils suspendedSuspensionsPermanent exclusions
2024/259.85.6%1120
2023/2411.57.5%1160
2022/2310.96.0%960
Schools with a similar intake25.9

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level, 2024-25.

Class sizes and staff

MeasureFigureYear
Average class size24.52025/26
Classes over 30 pupils22%2025/26
Pupils for each teacher18.3November 2025

Source: DfE, school workforce; school census, 2025/26.

Stops nearby

KindNearest (metres, straight line)
bus153

Source: DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes), current. A stop across a railway or main road may be a long walk. Bus frequency is not held.

Road collisions within 500 m

YearCollisions
202517
202413
202318
202218
202116

Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 11 serious and 0 fatal in all; 19 involved a pedestrian, 19 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.

Air quality

PollutantAnnual mean (µg/m³)Year
NO212.92024
PM1011.92024
PM257.52024

Source: DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps. A 1 km background figure: not the air at the school gate beside a busy road.

Who goes there

MeasureShare of pupilsYear
Eligible for free school meals51%2025/26
First language other than English31%2025/26
SEN support14%2025/26
Education, health and care plan2.2%2025/26
Girls52%2025/26

Source: DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs, 2025/26.

Ofsted

Ofsted, January 2023The judgements from the school's latest inspection. Reports from November 2025 use Ofsted's new report card, with different headings; we show whichever the latest report uses.Read the report ↗
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Leadership and managementGood

Inspections

DateKindOutcome
17 January 2023Graded inspectionGood

Source: Ofsted, 2023.

Admissions

Getting in

  • A Church of England school: its admissions policy may give priority by faith. DfE, Get Information about Schools
  • 158 families put it first for 176 places; 140 of them got in DfE, school applications and offers · Year 7 2026
  • We hold no catchment map for this school, so we can't say which addresses are inside it.
  • We can't tell how far Year 7 places reached: we hold no offer-day figures for this school. Ask the council or the school for the last distance offered.

Applications and offers, DfE

EntryYearPlacesFirst choicesAny choiceFirst choices offered
Year 72026176158431140
Year 72025180173437142
Year 72024179174400147
Year 72023177169401143
Year 72022177183364155
Year 72021179140391113
Year 72020179175436124
Year 72019160122288115

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2019 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.

Who runs it

  • Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, with 33 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined September 2018
  • Opened as an academy (free schools) on 3 September 2018 DfE, open academies list
  • We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.

Fees and clubs

State schools charge no tuition fees. Breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday clubs are set by each school: ask the school what it runs and what it costs.

Childcare costsWhat wraparound care and early years places cost, and what funding covers.See costs →

Nearby

Schools nearby

The Bemrose School0.5 miLandau Forte College0.9 miUTC Derby Pride Park1.5 miSaint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy1.5 miCompare side by side →

Nurseries nearby

Treetops Silvertrees0.3 miles
Derby Montessori School0.4 miles
The Cottage Private Day Nursery (55 Bedford Street)0.4 miles
The Cottage Private Day Nursery0.4 miles
Source: Ofsted early years register.
Homes in reach of this schoolLook up any home near here: its sales, an open-data valuation, and which schools it keeps in reach.Search homes →

Sources

  • DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps
  • DfE school performance tables
  • DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase
  • DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence)
  • DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level
  • DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level
  • DfE, destination measures
  • DfE, school workforce; school census
  • DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs
  • DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes)
  • DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years
  • Ofsted
  • School register: DfE Get Information about Schools (this school)
  • How we check these figures: How we know

More in schools in Derby and the Derby league table. School register: DfE Get Information about Schools, updated 17 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources are named beside each figure. How we know · All sources.