School Chooser

Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School

Primary · ages 2-7MixedCouncil229 pupilsNurseryIlkestonDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
12
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 5 to 27, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 31% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, March 2026
Attendance93.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families69%Far more than most schools
Parents would recommend100%19 Parent View responses
Places11 spare229 pupils, 240 places
Pupils per teacher18.4School workforce census

Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School is a council school in Ilkeston for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 229 pupils and room for 240. About 69 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 12 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 31% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in March 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Beauvale Drive, Cotmanhay, Ilkeston, DE7 8RR0115 930 2064cotmanhayinfants.co.ukMiss Katy Latchford headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 17 March 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
17 November 2021Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1Good

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places188 pupils for 240 places, 2024/25
78% full

52 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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.

What parents say

Would recommend the school100%England 87%
My child is happy here100%agree or strongly agree
My child feels safe100%
Positive overall100%
My child is happy at this school
100%England 89%
My child feels safe at this school
100%England 90%
Pupils are well behavedThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved
100%England 83%
Has your child been bullied here?Parents answering yes
5% yesEngland 18%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOnly parents whose child was bullied
100%England 50%
My child gets the right support to learn well
95%England 85%
Does your child have SEND?Parents answering yes
63% yesEngland 26%
The school gives them the support they needOnly parents of children with SEND
100%England 71%
The school communicates well with me
100%England 80%
My concerns have been dealt with properlyWhen I have raised concerns
90%England 69%
Decisions put the child's best interests first
100%England 82%
I would recommend this school
100%England 87%
Overall view of the school is positive
100%England 82%
Strongly agreeAgreeDon't knowDisagreeStrongly disagreeEngland, agree or yes

From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 19 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.

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 roll229Census January 2026
Places24095% full
Pupils from low-income families51%69% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support45%104 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.39 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils11%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)66%£175,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls141 / 88
White British pupils85%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (77), Autistic spectrum disorder (15), emotional and mental health (9), Other difficulty or disability (6), language and communications needs (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll229250257275274287
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals51%55%53%49%43%46%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%6%5%5%3%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support35%34%24%17%23%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%1%2%1%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school23.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.62024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.0%7.2%8.4%8.2%4.7%7.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.9%5.1%5.6%5.3%2.8%5.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%2.1%2.8%2.9%1.9%2.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence23.3%26.1%27.4%32.1%11.5%22.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.60.00.41.80.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

Staff and money

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

Teachers10.8full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher18.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants17.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£58,330
Teachers who left in the year2%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.22024/25

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£8,883England £7,738. Total £1.9m
Income per pupil£8,830England £7,697. Total £1.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,818England £3,480
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £176k, £802 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£11kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,883spent 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 m54712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate131 per 1,000 people44% higher than the England average
Typical house price£215,000Erewash
Nearest bus stop100 mJolley Farmers, 17 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
Cotmanhay Junior SchoolCouncil0 m273No overall grade 20246Compare
Granby Junior SchoolCouncil0.7 miles286No overall grade 20247Compare
Charlotte Nursery and Infant SchoolCouncil0.7 miles288No overall grade 20253Compare
Awsworth Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy1.1 miles262Good 202236Compare
Chaucer Junior SchoolAcademy1.3 miles233Not inspected63Compare
Chaucer Infant SchoolAcademy1.4 miles188No overall grade 20241Compare
The Florence Nightingale AcademyAcademy1.5 miles321Good 202332Compare
Springbank AcademyAcademy1.5 miles222Good 202330Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats31%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 12 is 13 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 25 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 12 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 12% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 5 to 27. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%below
-0.26
Ofsted report card, 0.5 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.15
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.29
2024/25; 129 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say5%above
+0.07
Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 19 responses

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 Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School a good school?

The figures are weak. Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School scores 12 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 31% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 5 to 27, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 17 March 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.

How many pupils does Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School have?

229 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 95% full.

Is Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 52 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 93.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

What do parents say about Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School?

100% of the 19 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 100% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.

How big are the classes at Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School?

The average class had 22.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 11% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Beauvale Drive, Cotmanhay, Ilkeston, DE7 8RR
Telephone
0115 930 2064
Website
www.cotmanhayinfants.co.uk
Headteacher
Miss Katy Latchford
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Cotmanhay
Constituency
Erewash
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112570 · LAESTAB 8302139 · UKPRN 10076511

Where these figures come from