School Chooser

Arkwright Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy99 pupilsNurseryChesterfieldDerbyshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, June 2025
Reached the expected level at 1147%England 63%
Attendance94.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families39%Far more than most schools
Places21 spare99 pupils, 120 places
Pupils per teacher16.5School workforce census

Arkwright Primary School is a converter academy in Chesterfield for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 99 pupils and room for 120. About 39 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

School Lane, Arkwright Town, Chesterfield, S44 5BZ01246 234018arkwright.derbyshire.sch.ukMrs Sophie Ruddiforth headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 3 June 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

17 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way. These are the results of Arkwright Primary School, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1147%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level6%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 100%100%20172018: 73%73%20182019: 47%47%20192023: 38%38%20232024: 56%56%20242025: 47%47%2025
Since 2017: -53%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†DerbyshireEngland
Pupils tested17161317159
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths47%56%38%47%73%100%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%6%0%12%13%11%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0104.0100.0102.0106.0108.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0105.0102.0102.0105.0107.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0104.0101.0104.0105.0110.0104.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard65%69%54%71%73%100%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard65%81%69%65%93%100%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)47%56%62%82%87%100%
Reading progressReading progress score-5.5-1.4+1.3+3.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.8-2.6+1.2+2.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged38%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged56%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Arkwright Primary School, the school this one replaced in November 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 2 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
38%56%
Gap 18 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%6%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Derbyshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll99Census January 2026
Places12082% full
Pupils from low-income families39%39% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%17 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan8%8 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)42%£57,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls42 / 57
White British pupils79%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (6), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Other difficulty or disability (2), Severe learning difficulty (2).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school21.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.9%7.6%6.3%10.1%6.7%5.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.5%6.3%4.2%6.0%4.0%3.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.3%2.1%4.1%2.7%2.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence21.8%19.1%16.7%28.6%23.9%14.3%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for Arkwright Primary School, the school this one replaced in November 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers5.8full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher16.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,440
Vacancies0

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£9,869England £7,738. Total £908k
Income per pupil£10,033England £7,697. Total £923k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,309England £3,480
Money in reserve3%Very little put by: £26k, £284 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£15kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,869spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m6812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate90 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£242,875North East Derbyshire
Nearest bus stop90 mCommunity Centre, 9 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Calow CofE VC Primary SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles192Good 202254Compare
Duckmanton Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles190Good 2022Compare
Brimington Manor Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy1.3 miles59Good 202331Compare
Inkersall Spencer AcademyAcademy1.3 miles378Report card 202631Compare
St Joseph's Catholic and CofE (VA) Primary SchoolRoman Catholic/Church of England1.7 miles181Good 202344Compare
Poolsbrook Primary AcademyAcademy1.8 miles69Good 20239Compare
Hady Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles328Good 202440Compare
Staveley Junior SchoolCouncil1.9 miles125Good 202323Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Arkwright Primary School a good school?

Arkwright Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in June 2025.

What is Arkwright Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Arkwright Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 3 June 2025.

How good are Arkwright Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 47% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Arkwright Primary School have?

99 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 120 places, so it is 83% full.

What is attendance like at Arkwright Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
School Lane, Arkwright Town, Chesterfield, S44 5BZ
Telephone
01246 234018
Website
www.arkwright.derbyshire.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sophie Ruddiforth
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Redhill Academy Trust (21 schools)
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Sutton
Constituency
Bolsover
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2025 (academy converter)
URN
152133 · LAESTAB 8302245 · UKPRN 10099158
Formerly
Arkwright Primary School

Where these figures come from