Whaley Bridge Primary School

Whaley Bridge Primary School is a small, inclusive school where pupils are known well and feel safe. Safeguarding standards are met. The school's highly inclusive vision and strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils are notable strengths. Pupils attend frequently, behaviour is calm and respectful, and personal development is given high priority through a broad range of opportunities. The curriculum has been strengthened and reading and phonics are prioritised effectively. Pupils generally make positive progress from their starting points, and early years provides a warm, purposeful start. However, published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages, especially in writing, and disadvantaged pupils' gaps remain substantial. Writing is improving but remains less secure than reading and mathematics. Leaders understand the school's context well, staff morale is high and governors are committed. The main area for further work is ensuring that staff consistently check pupils' understanding and use assessment information precisely to inform next steps, including in early years.

Strengths

• Inclusive culture ensures pupils with SEND and vulnerable pupils are supported to participate fully.
• Pupils attend frequently and families value the school's nurturing approach.
• Calm, respectful relationships and positive attitudes to learning are evident across the school.
• Personal development is prioritised through clubs, visits, leadership roles and pastoral support.
• Leadership has a clear inclusive vision and understands the school's context well.
• Staff benefit from strong professional development, mentoring and high morale.
• Governors know the school well and provide effective support and challenge.
• Reading and phonics are prioritised effectively, and pupils build knowledge securely over time.
• Early years provides a warm, purposeful environment with a strong communication and language focus.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and trust staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages, particularly in writing.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance gaps remain substantial, especially in writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics.
• Writing remains less secure than reading and mathematics, although it is improving.
• There is variation in how effectively staff check pupils' understanding and address gaps during lessons.
• Assessment information is not always used precisely enough to build consistently on what children already know, including in early years.
• Governance could sharpen its evaluation of the measurable impact of some improvement initiatives.

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 Whaley Bridge Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.4% 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 Whaley Bridge 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 Whaley Bridge Primary School had 15.9 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, 30.3% of pupils at Whaley Bridge Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 14.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 14 pupils.

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 Whaley Bridge Primary School received £10,360 and spent £10,167 for each of its 142 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £150,000 (£1,060 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 Whaley Bridge Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whaley Bridge Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Whaley Bridge Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whaley Bridge Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Whaley Bridge Primary School have?

Whaley Bridge Primary School has 142 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whaley Bridge Primary School cover?

Whaley Bridge Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 31% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Whaley Bridge Primary School?

Whaley Bridge Primary School is at Buxton Road, Whaley Bridge, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK23 7HX.