School Chooser

Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedAcademy155 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubSwadlincoteDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
9
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 4 to 23, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Attendance92.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families47%Far more than most schools
Places25 spare155 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher14.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll155Census January 2026

Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School is a converter academy in Swadlincote for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 155 pupils and room for 180. About 46 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 9 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Queen's Drive, Swadlincote, DE11 0EG01283 216883elmsleighinfantschool.co.ukNicola Price headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 October 2024, 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

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places127 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
71% full

53 places were empty (29% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 13% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 roll155Census January 2026
Places18086% full
Pupils from low-income families45%47% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%33 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan26%40 pupils with a plan
Average class size19.86 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)45%£85,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls87 / 68
White British pupils90%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) and SEN unit with 15 pupils and a SEN unit with 11 pupils, for autism.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Derbyshire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (27), Autistic spectrum disorder (18), language and communications needs (16), emotional and mental health (7), Specific learning difficulty (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll155156143163180190
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals45%40%41%46%46%43%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%5%4%4%2%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support29%36%28%6%31%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans17%7%7%8%6%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school26.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.8%7.1%7.1%8.2%3.8%7.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.1%6.0%5.5%7.2%3.4%6.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%1.1%1.6%0.9%0.4%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence26.1%23.1%18.1%26.9%7.7%18.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.07.09.80.60.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

† These attendance figures are for Elmsleigh Infant and Nursery School, the school this one replaced in April 2020. 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.

Teachers9.8full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher14.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers90%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants17.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,405
Teachers who left in the year40%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.02024/25

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£11,534England £7,128. Total £1.7m
Income per pupil£11,253England £7,587. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£5,151England £3,405
Money in reserve31%A lot put by: £515k, £3,527 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£41kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£11,534spent 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 m27212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate59 per 1,000 people35% lower than the England average
Typical house price£259,000South Derbyshire
Nearest bus stop60 mPrimary School, 31 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
St Edward's Catholic AcademyAcademy290 m248Good 201913Compare
Springfield Junior SchoolAcademy370 m182Good 20246Compare
Belmont Primary SchoolFoundation850 m415Good 202214Compare
Eureka Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles144Good 202331Compare
Newhall Infant SchoolCouncil0.8 miles175Good 202310Compare
Fairmeadows Foundation Primary SchoolFoundation0.8 miles207Good 201964Compare
Newhall Junior SchoolAcademy0.9 miles284Requires improvement 20212Compare
Church Gresley Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy1.1 miles314Good 202448Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats17%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 9 is 13 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 22 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School, 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
Eureka Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles144Good 202331Compare
Bird's Bush Primary SchoolAcademy12.5 miles143No overall grade 202519Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 9 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 9% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 4 to 23. 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%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.36
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.37
2024/25; 92 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School a good school?

The figures are weak. Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School scores 9 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 4 to 23, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School not judged at its last full inspection on 22 October 2024.

How many pupils does Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School have?

155 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 86% full.

Is Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 53 places were empty in 2024/25 (29% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 92.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School?

The average class had 19.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) and sen unit for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Elmsleigh Infant & Nursery School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Queen's Drive, Swadlincote, DE11 0EG
Telephone
01283 216883
Website
www.elmsleighinfantschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Nicola Price
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Esteem Multi-Academy Trust (14 schools)
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Midway
Constituency
South Derbyshire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2020 (academy converter)
URN
147811 · LAESTAB 8302356 · UKPRN 10085820
Formerly
Elmsleigh Infant and Nursery School

Where these figures come from