Hayfield Primary School

Hayfield Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary school in Derbyshire. Inspectors found it performing securely across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils are proud of their school, feel safe and included, behave well, and learn in calm, purposeful classrooms. Reading is a standout strength: pupils become confident, fluent readers, and most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve well from their starting points. The curriculum is broad, balanced and well sequenced, early years provision gives children a positive start, and leaders have improved mathematics consistency. Attendance is generally good and rising, and personal development, pastoral care and inclusion are strong. The main areas for improvement are in writing, where handwriting and spelling are not taught consistently enough and some staff do not use assessment sharply to address errors, so some pupils continue to make mistakes. Leaders have recognised this and early improvements are evident. A small number of pupils remain persistently absent, and leaders need to continue strengthening their strategic attendance work. Leaders are also refining how they measure small-step achievements for some pupils, including those with SEND. Overall, leadership and governance are effective, reflective and committed to further improvement.

Strengths

• Reading is a clear strength, with pupils becoming confident and fluent readers.
• Most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve well from their starting points.
• Staff have high expectations and carefully adapt teaching so that pupils with SEND mostly achieve well.
• Overall attendance is good, slightly above national and continuing to rise.
• Pupils behave well, build positive relationships and learn with very little disruption.
• Bullying is uncommon and staff respond promptly and effectively to any unkind behaviour.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and well sequenced, with deliberate vocabulary development.
• Mathematics teaching has been made more consistent so all pupils can access the curriculum successfully.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start in high-quality indoor and outdoor environments.
• The school is inclusive, with early identification of barriers and effective support for pupils and families.
• Leaders and governors know the school well, provide appropriate support and challenge, and are reflective and outward looking.
• Personal development is ambitious and well adapted, with wide clubs, leadership roles and creative arts opportunities.
• Pastoral support is a priority and available to any pupil who needs it.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement in writing has not reached the same standard as reading and mathematics.
• Handwriting and spelling are not taught as consistently as they could be.
• Not all staff use assessment consistently to address errors, so some pupils continue to make mistakes in letter formation and spelling.
• A small number of pupils remain persistently absent.
• Leaders should continue strengthening strategic attendance work to reduce persistent absence and ensure all pupils maximise their learning opportunities.
• Leaders are still refining how they measure the small-step achievements made by some pupils, including those with SEND.

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 Hayfield Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Hayfield Primary 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 Hayfield Primary School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.6% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Hayfield Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Hayfield Primary School received £6,721 and spent £7,058 for each of its 178 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £49,000 (£277 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 High Peak · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Hayfield Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hayfield Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Hayfield Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hayfield Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Hayfield Primary School have?

Hayfield Primary School has 178 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hayfield Primary School cover?

Hayfield Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Hayfield Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hayfield Primary School?

Hayfield Primary School is at Swallow House Lane, Hayfield, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK22 2HB.