Dronfield Infant School

Dronfield Infant School is a cohesive and ambitious infant community where pupils work hard, behave well and achieve well. Inspectors found strong leadership at all levels, expert support for pupils with SEND, effective safeguarding and a wide range of enriching experiences. Pupils are polite, proud of their school and well looked after, and staff are united in their ambition for all pupils. The school is reorganising its curriculum following a change in pupil numbers, and this work is being done well but is not yet complete. The first year of the revised curriculum is well organised, but planning for the second year is at an early stage. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not clearly set out the content pupils should remember long term, so recall is inconsistent. Reading beyond phonics also lacks a clear progression of what pupils should learn from the books they study. This was the school's first routine inspection since 2013, following a period of exemption and the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been changes in headteacher, deputy headteacher and governance. The school remains well led and highly regarded by pupils, staff and most parents, with safeguarding arrangements judged effective.

Strengths

• Pupils work hard, grow in confidence and achieve well.
• Staff are united in their ambition and form a strong, committed team.
• The school is a cohesive community where pupils behave well and are polite and courteous.
• Rewards and clear expectations help pupils to be ready, respectful and safe.
• Pupils take pride in representing the school in sport and community roles.
• Mini play leaders help ensure no one is left out at playtimes.
• Pupils are well looked after and have a strong understanding of online safety.
• The curriculum takes account of prior learning and prepares pupils for what comes next.
• In most subjects and in early years, pupils remember what they have been taught, sometimes impressively.
• Phonics is taught consistently well through fast-paced, energetic lessons.
• A wide range of strategies promotes a love of reading, and pupils read widely and often.
• Pupils with SEND receive expert help and support, and they achieve well.
• Staff identify SEND needs well and allow pupils to develop independence and confidence.
• Enriching trips, visits and visitors enhance pupils' personal development.
• The PSHE curriculum is well designed, and daily mindfulness sessions help pupils concentrate.
• Children in early years have an impressive concentration span.
• Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of protected characteristics.
• Leadership and governance are strong, and staff workload is considered.
• Leaders know their school and families well, and subject leaders understand what is working and what can improve.
• Pupils, staff and the vast majority of parents hold the school in high esteem.

Areas for Improvement

• The revised curriculum is not fully completed, with Cycle B still at an early stage of development.
• The school cannot yet be sure that pupils' knowledge builds cumulatively across both curriculum cycles.
• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear what pupils should know and remember long term.
• Pupils' recall is inconsistent in subjects where long-term content is not explicit.
• Beyond phonics, the reading curriculum does not clearly show how pupils build knowledge over time.
• The reading curriculum sets out books to study but is not always clear about what pupils should learn from them.
• Reading content is not always taught in the best possible order because progression beyond phonics is unclear.

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 Infant School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Dronfield Infant 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 Infant School had 24.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 3.0% of pupils at Dronfield Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Infant School received £6,550 and spent £6,811 for each of its 199 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £9,000 (£45 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
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All schools in Dronfield · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Dronfield Infant School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Dronfield Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dronfield Infant School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Dronfield Infant School have?

Dronfield Infant School has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dronfield Infant School cover?

Dronfield Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Dronfield Infant School?

Dronfield Infant School is at School Lane, Dronfield, Derbyshire, S18 1RY.