Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #44 in Derby public Top 91% UK

Cottons Farm Primary Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Kirsty Patmore

corporate_fareTHE HARMONY TRUST LTD

location_onDerby, DE24 9HG

language Visit Website phone 1332771370

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

114

school

Expected Standard

42%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Cottons Farm Primary Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Derby, serving ages 3-11. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards. Ranks in the top 91% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Cottons Farm Primary Academy is an academy sponsor led in Derby, admitting pupils aged 3-11. It is part of THE HARMONY TRUST LTD. The school has approximately 119 pupils on roll, of whom 64% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 42% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined. The school ranks #44 of 59 primaries in Derby and #11,846 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

42%

LA 56%

Reading63% LA 70%

Writing68% LA 66%

Maths53% LA 67%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

33%

LA 55%England 61%

Reading61% LA 68% · Eng 74%

Writing61% LA 67% · Eng 72%

Maths44% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

38%

LA 53%England 60%

Reading50% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Writing50% LA 66% · Eng 71%

Maths38% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

-6.6

Read

LA -1.1

-11.6 to -1.6

-1.2

Write

LA -0.4

-6.1 to 3.6

-4.5

Maths

LA -0.8

-9.2 to 0.2

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

67%

LA 58%England 65%

Reading67% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Writing78% LA 72% · Eng 78%

Maths83% LA 74% · Eng 79%

Read SS

100

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

-3.0

Read

LA -0.5

-6.0 to -0.1

-0.6

Write

LA -0.2

-3.3 to 2.1

0.3

Maths

LA -0.4

-2.2 to 2.9

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 59%

Reading-% LA 70%

Writing-% LA 73%

Maths-% LA 71%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA -0.6

Write

LA 0.1

Maths

LA -0.3

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

08 July 2025

Inspection Report

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02 February 2023

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2025-07-08

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2023-02-02

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2018-04-19

Maintained Academy and School Short inspection EIF

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

2014-05-07

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

1.7%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.7%(2 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 119 pupils. During this period, there were 2 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.7%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	119	2	1.7%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	116	0	0.0%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	132	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	129	2	1.6%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	118	2	1.7%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	122	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	114	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	106	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	102	3	2.9%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	107	1	0.9%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	101	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	107	3	2.8%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	107	1	0.9%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	107	2	1.9%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	123	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	123	7	5.7%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	113	3	2.7%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	130	4	3.1%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	131	2	1.5%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	118	11	9.3%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 14 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 5 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

70.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

80.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

40.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree20%

agree50%

disagree20%

strongly disagree10%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree20%

agree80%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree40%

agree20%

disagree20%

strongly disagree10%

not applicable10%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree20%

agree70%

don't know10%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree10%

agree70%

disagree10%

don't know10%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree20%

agree80%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree30%

agree60%

don't know10%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree40%

disagree10%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree40%

agree40%

don't know20%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes70%

no30%

Top Primary Schools in Derby

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Griffe Field Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Derby, DE23 3UQ

emoji_events #1 in LA

Gayton Junior School

Good

location_on Derby, DE23 1GA

emoji_events #2 in LA

Lawn Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Derby, DE22 2QR

emoji_events #3 in LA

Redwood Primary School

Good

location_on Derby, DE24 9PG

emoji_events #4 in LA

St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy

Outstanding

location_on Derby, DE23 1GG

emoji_events #5 in LA

Homefields Primary School

Good

location_on Derby, DE73 5NY

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Derby arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Derby

Griffe Field Primary School

Gayton Junior School

Lawn Primary School

Redwood Primary School

St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy

Homefields Primary School