Dronfield Junior School

Dronfield Junior School is a happy, welcoming community where pupils enjoy learning, behave well and feel cared for. Inspectors found that reading is central to the curriculum, with skilful support helping pupils catch up with phonics, and that the curriculum is rich, ambitious and carefully sequenced so pupils build learning step by step. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified promptly and learn the same curriculum with appropriate support. Personal development is well considered, with a wide range of clubs, sports, music, trips and a residential, and pupils are well prepared for life beyond school. Safeguarding is effective. Leadership is a strength: staff are proud to work at the school, governors are knowledgeable and provide support and challenge, and the recently introduced behaviour policy is well researched and has made a significant difference. Pupils typically behave well and understand the school’s ‘ready, respectful and safe’ rules. The main areas for improvement are that, in a very small number of subjects, pupils do not remember prior learning, leaving gaps that make it harder to build new understanding, and that at less structured times a small number of pupils do not show the self-control and consideration leaders expect. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains good across all judged areas; no overall effectiveness grade is given under the current framework.

Strengths

• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with skilful phonics catch-up support.
• The curriculum is rich, ambitious and carefully sequenced so pupils build learning step by step.
• Pupils with SEND are identified promptly and supported to access the same curriculum.
• Pupils behave well and understand the clear ‘ready, respectful and safe’ expectations.
• The new behaviour policy is well researched and has made a significant difference.
• Personal development is well considered, with clubs, sports, music, trips and a residential.
• Pupils are well prepared for life beyond school and understand health, safety, diversity and equality.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel valued by leaders.
• Governors are knowledgeable about strengths and improvement priorities and provide support and challenge.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a very small number of subjects, pupils do not remember prior learning, creating gaps that hinder new knowledge.
• At less structured times, a small number of pupils do not show the self-control and consideration leaders expect.

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 Dronfield Junior School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.0% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Dronfield Junior 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 Dronfield Junior School had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.8% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Dronfield Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 2025–26 Dronfield Junior School received £6,565 and spent £6,781 for each of its 319 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £271,000 (£849 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Dronfield · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Dronfield Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dronfield Junior School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Dronfield Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dronfield Junior School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Dronfield Junior School have?

Dronfield Junior School has 319 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dronfield Junior School cover?

Dronfield Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Dronfield Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dronfield Junior School?

Dronfield Junior School is at School Lane, School Lane, Dronfield, Derbyshire, S18 1ry, Dronfield, Derbyshire, S18 1RY.