Dronfield Stonelow Junior School

Dronfield Stonelow Junior School is a happy, inclusive maintained junior school where pupils feel safe, behave well and achieve well. Inspectors found high expectations, calm classrooms and strong relationships between staff, pupils and families. Personal development is a particular strength: pupils take on leadership roles, access a wide range of clubs and residential visits, and learn about health, safety, relationships, difference and British values. Safeguarding is effective, and parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. The curriculum is carefully designed and ambitious, including for pupils with SEND, and reading is a priority. Teachers use checks and memory tasks to identify gaps and provide extra support, while pupils with SEND are identified quickly and teaching is adapted to meet their needs. Attendance is monitored closely and work with families has improved attendance for many pupils. Staff feel well supported, and governors are well informed and hold leaders to account. The main area for improvement is that in a few subjects, teachers do not consistently provide learning opportunities matched to all pupils' abilities, meaning some pupils do not develop their knowledge and skills as well as they could. The school should ensure staff have the skills and expertise to deliver the intended curriculum consistently. This was a graded inspection and no overall effectiveness grade was awarded; the school was previously judged good.

Strengths

• High expectations and a happy, safe school culture where pupils work hard and achieve well.
• Pupils behave well, lessons are calm, and pupils show respect for each other and staff.
• Personal development is a standout strength, with leadership roles, clubs and residential visits.
• Strong pastoral care and family support help pupils overcome barriers to learning.
• The curriculum is carefully designed, ambitious and logically sequenced, including for pupils with SEND.
• Reading is a priority, with engaging texts and good use of the school library.
• Assessment and memory tasks help teachers identify gaps and provide effective extra support.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and teaching is adapted to meet their needs.
• Attendance is monitored closely and work with families has improved regular attendance.
• Staff feel supported, and governors are well informed and hold leaders to account.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Parents overwhelmingly value the work of the school.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, learning opportunities are not consistently matched to all pupils' abilities, so some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.
• Staff in some subjects need further skills and expertise to deliver the intended curriculum consistently.

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 Stonelow Junior School attended 95.3% 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, 3.4% of pupils at Dronfield Stonelow Junior 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 Stonelow Junior School had 16.0 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, 34.5% of pupils at Dronfield Stonelow Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% 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 Dronfield Stonelow Junior School received £8,474 and spent £8,528 for each of its 139 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £6,000 (-£41 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 Dronfield · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Dronfield Stonelow Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dronfield Stonelow Junior School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Dronfield Stonelow Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dronfield Stonelow Junior School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Dronfield Stonelow Junior School have?

Dronfield Stonelow Junior School has 139 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dronfield Stonelow Junior School cover?

Dronfield Stonelow Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

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

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dronfield Stonelow Junior School?

Dronfield Stonelow Junior School is at Stonelow Road, Dronfield, Derbyshire, S18 2EP.