South Darley CofE Primary School

South Darley CofE Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its good status since the last inspection in June 2019. Pupils express enjoyment in learning and feel safe, while parents rave about the supportive atmosphere of the school. The curriculum is ambitious and mostly well-planned, ensuring that pupils build their knowledge effectively across a range of subjects. Additionally, there are ample opportunities for personal development and extracurricular activities, contributing to a well-rounded education for the students.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy learning and feel safe at school.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and explain concepts clearly.
• The school prioritizes reading, providing daily lessons and support.
• Pupils with SEND receive effective support to access the curriculum.
• High expectations for behavior are consistently met by pupils.
• The school promotes personal development through a range of activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum clarity is lacking in some subjects and the early years foundation stage.
• Learning activities are not always well matched to intended learning objectives.

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 South Darley CofE Primary School attended 97.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.6% 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, 0.0% of pupils at South Darley CofE 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 South Darley CofE Primary School had 20.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 1.9% of pupils at South Darley CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 South Darley CofE Primary School received £9,061 and spent £9,062 for each of its 54 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £43,000 (£795 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 South Darley CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for South Darley CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was South Darley CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

South Darley CofE Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does South Darley CofE Primary School have?

South Darley CofE Primary School has 54 pupils on roll.

What age range does South Darley CofE Primary School cover?

South Darley CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are South Darley CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is South Darley CofE Primary School?

South Darley CofE Primary School is at Cross Green, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 2JT.