Cotmanhay Junior School

Cotmanhay Junior School is a calm, caring and inclusive junior school where pupils feel known and well cared for, relationships between staff and pupils are exemplary, and behaviour is strong. Pupils understand the school’s rules and are well supported to meet them, while personal development is a notable strength: pupils learn about a wide range of people, places and cultures, protected characteristics and British values, and are helped to manage their feelings and mental health. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are accurately identified and well supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is the quality of education. Although the curriculum is well organised and reading has been prioritised, some recent curriculum improvements are still at an early stage. In some lessons, teachers do not check pupils’ learning closely enough or help them recall prior content consistently, and pupils’ recall is uneven. National assessment outcomes have been low, and the reading curriculum has not yet had time to show its full impact. In some phonics lessons, sounds are not pronounced accurately and pupils replicate this. Leaders, including governors, have high aspirations and are addressing the school’s challenges directly, including attendance, which remains stubbornly low despite a robust approach. Staff workload and well-being are prioritised, and the school is in a strong position to embed its curriculum improvements. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and inspectors took the pandemic’s impact into account.

Strengths

• Calm, caring and nurturing community where pupils feel known and valued
• Exemplary relationships between staff and pupils
• Pupils behave well and understand the school’s rules
• Personal development is significantly enhanced through learning about cultures, protected characteristics and British values
• Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and well supported, including through the Viking Room and nurture group
• The curriculum is well organised and sets out what pupils should know and remember
• Reading is prioritised through a well-structured curriculum and tailored support for early readers
• Leaders at all levels, including governors, have high aspirations and prioritise staff well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not consistently recall curriculum content over time
• Teaching does not consistently help pupils know and remember what they have learned
• Teachers do not always check pupils’ learning closely enough or adapt teaching accordingly
• Recent curriculum improvements are at an early stage and have not yet fully impacted on pupils’ knowledge
• Some teachers pronounce phonics sounds inaccurately, and pupils replicate this
• National assessment outcomes have been low in recent years
• Attendance remains stubbornly low despite robust action

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 Cotmanhay Junior School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.6% 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, 3.9% of pupils at Cotmanhay Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Cotmanhay Junior School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% 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, 30.4% of pupils at Cotmanhay Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.1% 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 Cotmanhay Junior School received £9,012 and spent £8,898 for each of its 273 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £125,000 (£459 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 Ilkeston · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Cotmanhay Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cotmanhay Junior School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Cotmanhay Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cotmanhay Junior School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Cotmanhay Junior School have?

Cotmanhay Junior School has 273 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cotmanhay Junior School cover?

Cotmanhay Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cotmanhay Junior School?

Cotmanhay Junior School is at Beauvale Drive, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8RR.