Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery is a smaller-than-average Church of England primary in Derby, part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust. It serves a community with well-above-average free school meals and above-average deprivation, and leaders have adapted the school to support more pupils with complex needs. The May 2026 full inspection found the school performing at the expected standard across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils are positive about learning, feel safe and well cared for, and benefit from a calm, supportive environment. Reading is a particular strength, including for disadvantaged pupils, and key stage 2 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has improved to around national averages. Attendance is close to national averages, behaviour is generally positive, and the early years, curriculum design, inclusion, leadership, governance and personal development work are all effective. Leaders know families well and provide strong wellbeing and extra-curricular support. The main areas for development are consistency in teaching and adaptation. Teaching is not always as effective as it could be, staff do not always identify and address learning gaps quickly enough, and the whole-school writing approach is not fully embedded, so some pupils do not develop writing skills consistently. Leaders should continue to strengthen adaptive strategies and curriculum delivery so that support is well matched to all pupils' needs.

Strengths

• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are proud of their work.
• Pupils leave well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Reading provision is effective, helping pupils become fluent and accurate readers.
• Key stage 2 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has improved and is close to national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils' reading attainment is above the national average for similar pupils.
• Attendance is a clear priority and is close to national averages.
• Behaviour is generally positive, with pupils polite, confident and respectful.
• The curriculum is carefully designed and sequenced from the early years to Year 6.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start and effective learning routines.
• Inclusion systems identify needs clearly and provide effective wellbeing and SEND support.
• Leadership and governance are knowledgeable, proactive and focused on pupils' best interests.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised, with a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel supported with workload and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently effective across the school.
• Staff sometimes do not identify and address gaps in pupils' learning quickly enough.
• The whole-school approach to writing is not fully embedded, so some pupils' writing skills develop inconsistently.
• Adaptive strategies are not always used effectively to match support to pupils' needs.
• Some pupils with complex barriers to learning make only some progress from their starting points.
• Curriculum delivery and support for pupils with SEND are not consistently effective.

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 Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.4% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery 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 Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery had 23.0 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, 18.2% of pupils at Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 2024–25 Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery received £7,201 and spent £7,245 for each of its 240 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £110,000 (£460 per pupil).

Across all 33 schools of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, income was £7,661 and spending £7,414 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Derby · Derby local authority: places and applications

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery is part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• Firs Primary School Derby
• Derby St Chad's CofE Nursery and Infant School Derby
• Derby Cathedral School Derby
• St Peter's Church of England Aided Junior School Derby
• Hardwick Primary School Derby
• Arboretum Primary School Derby
• St James' Church of England Aided Junior School Derby
• Griffe Field Primary School Derby
• Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School Derby
• St Werburgh's CofE Primary School Derby

What is Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery have?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery has 236 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery cover?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery?

Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery is at St Albans Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 3HH.