Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled

Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled is a 243-pupil primary school judged to be meeting expected standards overall. Pupils leave well prepared for secondary school, national outcomes are close to average and improving, and mathematics is a particular strength, including for disadvantaged pupils. Pupils are polite, respectful and well behaved; the curriculum is ambitious and coherent; and personal development, wellbeing and safeguarding are strong, with an open safeguarding culture and a broad programme of enrichment, character education and pupil support. However, inspectors identified three areas needing attention. Early years provision does not consistently prepare children well for Year 1 because teaching, interactions and assessment are uneven, and some additional needs are not supported appropriately. Inclusion is not consistently timely or rigorous, especially for vulnerable and disadvantaged children and those with EHC plans. Leadership and governance also need strengthening: leaders do not evaluate provision rigorously enough, governors lack deep knowledge and effective challenge, and attendance analysis and handwriting development remain priorities. The school is a Church of England controlled primary with a close-to-average pupil intake and no alternative provision. Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders are described as caring, staff feel well supported, subject leadership is having a positive impact, and parents are supportive, but the report calls for sharper identification of need, more effective early years teaching, better evaluation of impact, improved governance, consistent writing fundamentals and more rigorous attendance analysis.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open safeguarding culture.
• Pupils leave well prepared for secondary education.
• National test outcomes are close to national averages and improving.
• Mathematics achievement is above average, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Reading and phonics outcomes have improved through timely support.
• Pupils gain suitable knowledge across an ambitious and progressive curriculum.
• Pupils use accurate vocabulary and draw on prior learning.
• Pupils with SEND typically make appropriate progress from their starting points.
• Pupils are polite, well mannered, respectful and positive about learning.
• Behaviour is good, with rare instances of poor behaviour, bullying or discrimination dealt with effectively.
• Personal development is broad and well developed across the school.
• PSHE, safety education, wellbeing and mental health support are comprehensive.
• Character education and enrichment trips, clubs and responsibilities develop pupils well.
• Leaders use pupil premium effectively to provide experiences and support for disadvantaged pupils.
• Staff feel well supported, workload is considered, and subject leadership teams are effective.
• Parents are supportive and relationships with families are positive.
• Early years children form positive relationships and gain independence through clear routines.

Areas for Improvement

• Fewer pupils reach the higher standard because mathematical reasoning is less developed.
• Handwriting quality is not secure and hinders overall writing quality.
• Some support for pupils with SEND is not well matched to their needs.
• Staff do not consistently use assessment to adjust learning for pupils with SEND.
• Attendance has declined slightly over two years while national attendance has improved.
• Leaders' analysis of attendance patterns is not precise enough to explain the decline.
• Early years staff do not teach the curriculum consistently well, limiting readiness for Year 1.
• Early years activities and adult interactions often lack clear focus and consistent quality.
• Early years staff do not check children's learning well enough to shape future learning.
• Children often gravitate to favourite activities, narrowing their learning.
• Early years staff do not consistently provide appropriate support when additional needs are identified.
• Early years staff do not ensure children hold a pencil or form letters correctly before writing sentences.
• Leaders sometimes do not identify pupils' needs or barriers to learning quickly or accurately enough.
• Leaders do not evaluate the impact of support with sufficient rigour, so some pupils miss needed support.
• Pupils with EHC plans lack precise targets broken into small, achievable steps.
• Leaders do not rigorously evaluate the quality of provision or ensure improvement actions have demonstrable impact.
• Governors lack broad and deep knowledge of provision and do not provide effective, rigorous support and challenge.
• Governor training and guidance are limited and infrequent, leaving governance not securely understood.
• Early years provision does not fully consider the needs of vulnerable or disadvantaged children.
• Writing fundamentals, particularly handwriting, lack a consistent and effective approach.

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 Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.0% 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 Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled 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 Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% 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, 8.1% of pupils at Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled received £6,935 and spent £7,051 for each of its 242 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £188,000 (£779 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 Ripley · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

What is Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled last inspected by Ofsted?

Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled have?

Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled has 248 pupils on roll.

What age range does Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled cover?

Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled?

Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled is at Whitegates, Codnor, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 9QD.