Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School

Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School is a caring, nurturing school where pupils are happy, behave respectfully and live up to high expectations. The school has a well-designed curriculum that is sequenced from the early years to Year 2, and pupils achieve well in early reading. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong, with needs identified quickly and teaching adapted effectively. Pupils benefit from well-planned outdoor spaces, wider personal development opportunities and strong leadership at all levels. Since the last inspection, leaders have successfully reviewed and revised the curriculum, but in a small number of subjects the curriculum is still being refined. In those subjects, pupils are less secure in their understanding and do not recall prior learning as well. Assessment and feedback are not used consistently across all subjects, so some pupils are unclear about how to improve and do not embed knowledge as securely as they might. Early writing has been rightly identified as an immediate focus because some pupils do not consistently develop secure handwriting and spelling. Behaviour and attendance are strong, safeguarding is effective, and governors provide suitable challenge and support. The school is continuing to embed its revised early years curriculum and is working to ensure that curriculum ambition, assessment and feedback are equally effective across all areas.

Strengths

• Caring and nurturing ethos that helps pupils feel happy and supported
• Pupils behave respectfully and meet the school's high expectations
• Pupils achieve well in early reading and develop as fluent, confident readers
• Strong provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Curriculum is well designed and sequenced from the early years to Year 2
• Well-designed outdoor spaces support pupils' social development and physical fitness
• Pupils' wider personal development is promoted well through trips and experiences
• Leadership at all levels is strong, including effective governor challenge and support
• Attendance is typically high and the school works proactively with families
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is still under review and not fully sequenced
• Pupils are less secure in recalling prior learning in some subjects
• Assessment is not used consistently across all subjects to check understanding
• Feedback is not consistently helpful in showing pupils how to improve
• Some pupils lose focus in lessons where curriculum and assessment are less effective
• Early writing requires a more systematic approach to handwriting and spelling
• The revised early years curriculum is still being embedded

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 Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery 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 Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 16.5% of pupils at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School received £7,460 and spent £7,682 for each of its 255 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £73,000 (£285 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 Derby · Derby local authority: places and applications

What is Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School have?

Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School has 267 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School cover?

Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?

Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School is at Devonshire Drive, Mickleover, Derby, Derbyshire, DE3 9HE.