Chaucer Infant School

Chaucer Infant School is a caring, welcoming school where pupils are happy and safe and relationships are positive. The school is ambitious for all pupils, and pupils are typically successful in reading and mathematics, where reading is a clear priority and books are closely linked to the curriculum. Personal development is a notable strength: pupils understand the school’s ‘BEAR’ values, take part in breakfast routines and ‘Embark’ awards, learn about British values and online safety, and benefit from visits and responsibilities. However, the school’s recent curriculum changes are not yet consistently well implemented. In several subjects and in the early years, pupils struggle to remember what they have been taught, and teachers do not always use assessment well enough to identify gaps or resolve misconceptions. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not achieve as well as they should because targets are sometimes unclear and planned learning does not always meet their needs. Behaviour management is inconsistent, and low-level disruption sometimes interrupts learning. Leadership is in a period of change, with many staff and some leaders new to their roles. The school knows what needs to improve, but some improvement priorities have not yet been acted on, and some leaders are still developing the knowledge and skills needed for their roles. Trust support and training are valued, parents are largely positive about the direction of travel, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first section 5 inspection as an academy within the Embark Multi Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Caring and welcoming school with positive relationships
• Pupils are happy and feel safe
• Ambitious for all pupils to achieve well
• Pupils are typically successful in reading and mathematics
• Reading is prioritised and books are closely linked to curriculum subjects
• Phonics teaching uses routines that pupils engage with eagerly
• Reading books are matched accurately to the sounds pupils are learning
• Catch-up support is usually used well for pupils who need extra reading help
• Personal development is promoted effectively through the ‘BEAR’ values
• Pupils understand British values and how to stay safe online
• Pupils learn about healthy food choices and take on responsibilities
• Purposeful visits enrich pupils’ learning experiences
• The school works well with families to improve attendance
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Staff value the trust’s high-quality training and support
• Parents are positive about how the school is improving

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent in several subjects and in the early years
• Pupils often struggle to remember what they have been taught in non-core subjects
• Teachers do not use assessment well enough to check understanding and address gaps
• Teachers sometimes move on too quickly before knowledge is secure
• Phonics staff do not check pupils’ understanding closely enough before introducing new sounds
• Pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should
• SEND targets are not always clear or precise
• The curriculum for pupils with SEND is not always appropriate or ambitious
• Behaviour management strategies are inconsistent
• Some pupils’ conduct falls short of the school’s expectations
• Low-level disruption often interrupts learning
• Some leaders are new to post and still developing the knowledge and skills for their roles
• Some key improvement priorities have not yet been acted on

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 Chaucer Infant School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.5% 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, 3.9% of pupils at Chaucer Infant 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 Chaucer Infant School had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 46.5% 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, 23.4% of pupils at Chaucer Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Chaucer Infant School received £9,087 and spent £7,985 for each of its 186 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £49,000 (£265 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Embark Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,703 and spending £7,965 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 Ilkeston · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Chaucer Infant School is part of Embark Multi Academy Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• Chaucer Junior School Ilkeston
• Field House Infant School Ilkeston
• Ladywood Primary School Ilkeston
• Howitt Primary Community School Heanor
• Aldercar High School Nottingham
• Aldercar Infant School Nottingham
• Richardson Endowed Primary School Ilkeston
• Horsley Woodhouse Primary School Ilkeston
• Draycott Community Primary School Derby
• Waingroves Primary School Ripley

What is Chaucer Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chaucer Infant School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Chaucer Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chaucer Infant School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Chaucer Infant School have?

Chaucer Infant School has 188 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chaucer Infant School cover?

Chaucer Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Chaucer Infant School?

Chaucer Infant School is at Cantelupe Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5LN.