School Chooser

Great Hucklow CE Primary

Primary · ages 3-11MixedChurch of England33 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubBuxtonDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
13
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 5 to 34, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 43% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2023
Attendance91.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families27%About the same as most schools in England
Places37 spare33 pupils, 70 places
Pupils per teacher12.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll33Census January 2026

Great Hucklow CE Primary is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Buxton for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 33 pupils and room for 70. About 27 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 13 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 43% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

School Lane, Great Hucklow, Buxton, SK17 8RG01298 871293woodlandfederationofpeakdistrictschools.co.ukMrs Andrea Tomlinson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 May 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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
Requires improvement
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
3 December 2019UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

5 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.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2019
2017: 44%44%20172018: 67%67%20182019: 40%40%2019
Since 2017: -4%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017DerbyshireEngland
Pupils tested5341099
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths40%67%44%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths10%11%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score100.0107.0104.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0104.0100.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0104.0105.0104.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard40%89%67%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard60%78%44%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%78%78%
Reading progressReading progress score-4.6+1.3-3.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.9-0.3-6.3
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged44%

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.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places36 pupils for 70 places, 2024/25
51% full

34 places were empty (49% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 71% 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.

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 roll33Census January 2026
Places7047% full
Pupils from low-income families27%27% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support30%10 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%3 pupils with a plan
Average class size19.02 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)30%£15,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls17 / 16
White British pupils94%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), language and communications needs (2), Vision impairment (2), emotional and mental health (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll333533261926
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals27%23%27%31%11%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support37%36%50%47%42%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%3%0%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school30.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.3%15.7%13.1%15.3%6.0%4.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.4%14.4%10.0%14.2%5.2%3.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.3%3.1%1.1%0.8%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence30.0%37.5%39.1%26.3%13.0%5.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.09.10.05.30.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01000

Staff and money

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

Teachers2.7full-time equivalent, 4 people
Pupils per teacher12.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,452
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher19.02022/23

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£12,150England £7,738. Total £425k
Income per pupil£12,722England £7,697. Total £445k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,690England £3,480
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £46k, £1,315 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£20kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£12,150spent 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

Local crime rate41 per 1,000 people55% lower than the England average
Typical house price£320,000Derbyshire Dales
Nearest bus stop250 mOld Chapel, 2 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
Bradwell CofE (Controlled) Infant School & NurseryChurch of England1.9 miles20Good 202454Compare
Litton CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.0 miles42No overall grade 202588Compare
Bradwell Junior SchoolAcademy2.0 miles41Inadequate 20227Compare
Bishop Pursglove CofE (A) Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles75Good 202343Compare
Eyam CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.7 miles64No overall grade 202437Compare
Castleton CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.5 miles21Good 202426Compare
Stoney Middleton CofE (C) Primary SchoolChurch of England3.5 miles20Good 20248Compare
Hope Primary SchoolCouncil3.5 miles67No overall grade 202423Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Great Hucklow CE Primary with the 42 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 42 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats43%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 13 is 3 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 16 · highest 90100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 42 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Great Hucklow CE Primary, 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
Bakewell CofE Infant SchoolAcademy6.3 miles36Good 202325Compare
Parwich Primary SchoolCouncil14.7 miles25Report card 202627Compare
Brassington Primary SchoolCouncil15.2 miles53Good 202345Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 13 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 13% 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 34. 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 inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.3 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.25
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.36
2024/25; 30 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 Great Hucklow CE Primary a good school?

The figures are weak. Great Hucklow CE Primary scores 13 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 43% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 5 to 34, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Great Hucklow CE Primary's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Great Hucklow CE Primary good at its last full inspection on 10 May 2023.

How many pupils does Great Hucklow CE Primary have?

33 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 70 places, so it is 47% full.

Is Great Hucklow CE Primary oversubscribed?

Probably not. 34 places were empty in 2024/25 (49% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Great Hucklow CE Primary?

Pupils were in school 91.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Great Hucklow CE Primary?

The average class had 19.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Great Hucklow CE Primary 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
School Lane, Great Hucklow, Buxton, SK17 8RG
Telephone
01298 871293
Website
www.woodlandfederationofpeakdistrictschools.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Andrea Tomlinson
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
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Derby
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Bradwell
Constituency
Derbyshire Dales
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112819 · LAESTAB 8303037 · UKPRN 10074898

Where these figures come from