Tansley Primary School

Tansley Primary School is a small school that has recently joined Framework Federation and has new leadership. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and a positive, inclusive culture. Attendance is above national averages, behaviour is very positive, and pupils feel safe and happy. Early years provision, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development are all at expected standard, with early years recently expanded to include two-year-olds and a nursery. Notable strengths include strong attendance and behaviour, effective pastoral and enrichment provision, and a well-planned early years curriculum. Leaders are ambitious, governors are knowledgeable, and staff feel supported. However, achievement and curriculum and teaching need attention. Pupils' KS2 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics have been below national averages over time, and disadvantaged pupils have particularly large gaps. Teaching is not consistently effective: activities are not always matched to pupils' needs, assessment is underused, and foundational skills such as writing and reading fluency are inconsistent. Some pupils cannot recall or talk confidently about their learning, and their knowledge of world religions and cultures is not secure. Leaders have taken action, but it is too soon to see the full impact.

Strengths

• Attendance is above national averages, with effective early action to support pupils and families.
• Behaviour is very positive, classrooms are calm, and pupils settle quickly into learning.
• Bullying is rare, and pupils feel safe and supported by trusted adults.
• Early years provision is well planned and sequenced, with strong phonics and vocabulary teaching.
• Inclusion is effective, with a graduated approach that supports pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders, governors and staff work well together, and staff feel supported with manageable workloads.
• Personal development and enrichment are strong, including forest school, music and sporting opportunities.
• Pastoral support and pupil wellbeing are well developed, helping pupils become confident and resilient.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' achievement at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national averages over time.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are below national averages, with large gaps in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teaching is not consistently effective, and activities are not always matched to pupils' starting points or intended learning.
• Staff do not use assessment well enough to check pupils' knowledge and adapt teaching.
• Some pupils cannot accurately recall or talk about what they have learned.
• Basic skills such as writing, handwriting and reading fluency are not developed consistently for all pupils.
• Some pupils' knowledge of world religions and cultures is not secure.
• Recent curriculum and leadership actions are too new to show their full impact.

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 Tansley Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.8% 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 Tansley 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 Tansley Primary School had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% 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, 19.0% of pupils at Tansley Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 Tansley Primary School received £12,740 and spent £11,575 for each of its 58 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £177,000 (£3,044 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 Matlock · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Tansley Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Tansley Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Tansley Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Tansley Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Tansley Primary School have?

Tansley Primary School has 58 pupils on roll.

What age range does Tansley Primary School cover?

Tansley Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 23% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Tansley Primary School?

Tansley Primary School is at Gold Hill, Tansley, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5FG.