School Chooser

Bakewell Methodist Academy

Primary · ages 7-11MixedAcademyMethodist39 pupilsBakewellDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
27
Below
similar schools
Likely range 9 to 65, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 60% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, September 2021
Reached the expected level at 1159%England 63%
Attendance96.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families54%Far more than most schools
Places111 spare39 pupils, 150 places
Pupils per teacher12.9School workforce census

Bakewell Methodist Academy is a sponsored academy in Bakewell for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 39 pupils and room for 150. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 27 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2021.

Stoney Close, Bakewell, DE45 1FR01629 812389bakewellmethodistacademy.co.ukMrs Sarah Elizabeth Owens headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 September 2021, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

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

This inspection is more than 5 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

22 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1159%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level14%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 57%57%20172018: 33%33%20182019: 64%64%20192023: 56%56%20232024: 57%57%20242025: 59%59%2025
Since 2017: +2%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024†2023†2019†2018†2017†DerbyshireEngland
Pupils tested22141822923
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths59%57%56%64%33%57%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths14%0%6%5%0%13%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0102.0104.0103.099.0104.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0102.0103.0106.0101.0102.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0102.0101.0103.099.0103.0104.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard59%64%61%68%44%70%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard68%57%78%77%56%65%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)68%64%72%73%67%74%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.1-3.8-3.5-3.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.3-2.7-1.8-4.9

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 Bakewell Methodist Junior School, the school this one replaced in February 2024. 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. None of the 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 11Boys vs girls
50%63%
Gap 13 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. As a Methodist school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places51 pupils for 150 places, 2024/25
34% full

99 places were empty (66% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

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 a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll39Census January 2026
Places15026% full
Pupils from low-income families54%54% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%8 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%2 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)51%£29,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls20 / 19
White British pupils85%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), emotional and mental health (2), Other difficulty or disability (1), Physical disability (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025
Pupils on roll3955
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals54%46%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%9%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support20%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.0%4.0%4.8%5.8%4.2%4.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.8%3.1%3.4%5.5%3.1%3.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%0.9%1.4%0.3%1.1%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.3%12.3%11.4%11.8%4.9%6.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0

† These attendance figures are for Bakewell Methodist Junior School, the school this one replaced in February 2024. 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.

Teachers3.0full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher12.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers60%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,308
Teachers who left in the year28%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

Money

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

Spend per pupil£8,418England £7,128. Total £463k
Income per pupil£10,018England £7,587. Total £551k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,836England £3,405
Money in reserve19%A healthy amount put by: £106k, £1,923 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£88kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,418spent 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 m5612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate47 per 1,000 people48% lower than the England average
Typical house price£320,000Derbyshire Dales
Nearest bus stop200 mStoney Close, 10 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
Bakewell CofE Infant SchoolAcademy940 m36Good 202325Compare
Youlgrave, All Saints' CofE (VA) Primary SchoolChurch of England2.1 miles58Good 20247Compare
Pilsley CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.5 miles64Good 202255Compare
Stanton-in-Peak CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.6 miles68Outstanding 202479Compare
Longstone CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.7 miles94Good 202356Compare
Rowsley CofE (Controlled) Primary SchoolChurch of England2.8 miles60Good 202442Compare
St Anne's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.8 miles129Good 202285Compare
Monyash CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England4.2 miles48Good 202236Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Bakewell Methodist Academy with the 45 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats60%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 27 is 15 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 13 · highest 96100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 45 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Bakewell Methodist Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Rowsley CofE (Controlled) Primary SchoolChurch of England2.8 miles60Good 202442Compare
Darley Churchtown Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy4.2 miles41Good 202056Compare
Winster CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England4.8 miles4Good 202234Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 27 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 27% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 9 to 65. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.12
2025 results; 22 pupils
Ofsted inspection15% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)well below
-0.51
Ofsted grade, 5.0 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.24
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 22 pupils
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.02
2024/25; 56 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.12
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 22 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Bakewell Methodist Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Bakewell Methodist Academy scores 27 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 9 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Bakewell Methodist Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Bakewell Methodist Academy requires improvement at its last full inspection on 14 September 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Bakewell Methodist Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 59% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 14% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Bakewell Methodist Academy have?

39 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 26% full.

Is Bakewell Methodist Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 99 places were empty in 2024/25 (66% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Bakewell Methodist Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% 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
Stoney Close, Bakewell, DE45 1FR
Telephone
01629 812389
Website
www.bakewellmethodistacademy.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sarah Elizabeth Owens
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Methodist
Multi-academy trust
Epworth Education Trust (11 schools)
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Bakewell
Constituency
Derbyshire Dales
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2024 (new provision)
URN
150292 · LAESTAB 8302096 · UKPRN 10093653
Formerly
Bakewell Methodist Junior School

Where these figures come from