Holbrook Church of England Primary School

Holbrook Church of England Primary School is a welcoming and high-performing primary school where pupils thrive. Inspectors found behaviour and personal development to be exceptional, with pupils showing impeccable conduct, strong relationships with staff and a rich set of opportunities that build confidence and community involvement. The quality of education, early years provision and leadership and management are all secure, and pupils achieve well academically through an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. The school places a strong emphasis on reading from the earliest years, and phonics teaching is highly effective. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported well, and attendance is high. Leadership has a clear vision, and staff feel valued and supported by the trust. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. The main area for improvement is curriculum delivery in some subjects. In these subjects, pupils are sometimes given too much new information at once, and learning activities do not focus sharply enough on the key knowledge pupils need to learn and remember. This limits the depth of pupils' knowledge and the quality of their work in those areas.

Strengths

• Pupils behave impeccably and show kindness and respect towards one another.
• Strong relationships with staff support pupils' well-being and resilience.
• The school has an ambitious and meticulously sequenced curriculum.
• Reading and phonics are taught exceptionally well from the early years.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve consistently well in English and mathematics.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported effectively.
• Attendance is high, and leaders maintain clear oversight of attendance levels.
• Personal development provision is exceptionally well considered and prepares pupils for life beyond the village.
• Pupils take on responsible roles and contribute actively to the school and wider community.
• Leadership has a clear and ambitious vision, and staff feel valued with manageable workloads.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, curriculum delivery is not precise enough, with too much new information presented at once.
• Learning activities in some subjects do not focus sharply enough on the key knowledge pupils need to learn and remember.
• This limits pupils' growth in knowledge and the depth and quality of their work in those subjects.

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 Holbrook Church of England Primary School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 1.7% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Holbrook Church of England 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 Holbrook Church of England Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.4% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Holbrook Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Holbrook Church of England Primary School received £6,751 and spent £6,865 for each of its 136 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £62,000 (£453 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 Belper · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

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

• William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary School Belper
• Loscoe CofE Primary School and Nursery Heanor
• Stanley Common Church of England Primary School Ilkeston
• Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School Derby
• Turnditch Church of England Primary School Belper
• Scargill CofE Primary School Ilkeston
• Derby Cathedral School Derby
• St Werburgh's CofE Primary School Derby
• Firs Primary School Derby
• St James' Church of England Aided Junior School Derby

What is Holbrook Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holbrook Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Holbrook Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holbrook Church of England Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Holbrook Church of England Primary School have?

Holbrook Church of England Primary School has 134 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holbrook Church of England Primary School cover?

Holbrook Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Holbrook Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holbrook Church of England Primary School?

Holbrook Church of England Primary School is at Moorside Lane, Holbrook, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 0TW.