SCHOOL PROFILE

Derby Cathedral School

Secondary Free schools URN 143734
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,260 Published school capacity
Capacity used 92.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

17 January 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Free schools
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Derby
Trust DERBY DIOCESAN ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,159 1,159 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 607 52.4% of pupils
Male pupils 552 47.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

51.2%
26.4 pts above England
School 51.2%
Derby 35.5%
East Midlands 25.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

31.1%
10.8 pts above England
School 31.1%
Derby 30.2%
East Midlands 18.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Derby 0.2%
East Midlands 0.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
34.0%
394
African
17.9%
208
Any other White background
11.6%
134
Pakistani
5.7%
66
Any other ethnic group
5.4%
63
Any other Mixed background
5.2%
60
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 15.8% 183 of 1,159 pupils
5.0 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 15.8%
Derby 21.1%
East Midlands 19.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 13.6% 157 pupils
England 14.8% 1.2 pts below
EHC plans 2.2% 26 pupils
England 6.0% 3.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 46
Social, emotional & mental health 36
Moderate learning difficulty 33
Speech, language & communication 22
Other difficulty or disability 13
Physical disability 13

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

41.5 2.3 pts above England
School 41.5
Derby 39.5
East Midlands 39.1
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 35.4% England 36.0% 0.6 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 57.3% England 51.4% 5.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 57.3% England 30.6% 26.7 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.81 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.69 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.22%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

In line with England
School 6.22%
Derby 6.39%
East Midlands 5.90%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

16.15%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.33 pts higher than England
School 16.15%
Derby 17.98%
East Midlands 14.53%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.37%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.56 pts higher than England
School 2.37%
Derby 1.61%
East Midlands 1.72%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

92.0% 0.3 pts below England
Derby Cathedral School
92.0%
Derby
94.9%
East Midlands
94.2%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information