School Chooser

Lons Infant School

Primary · ages 4-7MixedCouncil40 pupilsRipleyDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
34
Below
similar schools
Likely range 14 to 64, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 72% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, April 2025
Attendance93.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families28%About the same as most schools in England
Places50 spare40 pupils, 90 places
Pupils per teacher20.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll40Census January 2026

Lons Infant School is a council school in Ripley for boys and girls aged 4 to 7. It has 40 pupils and room for 90. About 28 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 34 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 72% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Tavistock Avenue, Ripley, DE5 3SE01773 744319lons.derbyshire.sch.ukMiss Annette Guthrie headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 23 April 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

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places55 pupils for 79 places, 2024/25
70% full

24 places were empty (30% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 35% 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 roll40Census January 2026
Places9044% full
Pupils from low-income families28%28% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%5 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan13%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size20.02 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)23%£15,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls19 / 21
White British pupils100%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (5), emotional and mental health (3), language and communications needs (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll405871788580
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals28%35%24%17%14%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%2%1%0%0%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support28%32%8%11%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans10%10%8%6%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils25.92024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission1.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.1%4.5%5.2%6.4%3.6%3.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.5%3.3%4.1%5.9%2.5%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.6%1.2%1.1%0.5%1.1%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.0%7.6%13.3%21.4%5.5%3.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate25.90.02.69.43.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

Staff and money

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

Teachers2.0full-time equivalent, 3 people
Pupils per teacher20.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,075
Teachers who left in the year31%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher21.02024/25

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£11,547England £7,738. Total £670k
Income per pupil£11,035England £7,697. Total £640k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,224England £3,480
Money in reserve-5%In the red: -£31k, -£539 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£30kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£11,547spent 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 m38112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate71 per 1,000 people22% lower than the England average
Typical house price£235,000Amber Valley
Nearest bus stop100 mTavistock Avenue, 26 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
Ripley Junior SchoolAcademy0.6 miles327Good 2024Compare
Ripley Infant SchoolCouncil0.7 miles157Good 202427Compare
Ripley St John's Church of England Primary School and NurseryChurch of England0.7 miles359Good 202457Compare
Swanwick Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles379No overall grade 202543Compare
Waingroves Primary SchoolAcademy1.4 miles213Good 202362Compare
Codnor Community Primary School Church of England ControlledChurch of England1.6 miles248Report card 202634Compare
Street Lane Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles93Good 202278Compare
Heage Primary SchoolAcademy1.8 milesGood 2021Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lons Infant School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats72%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 34 is 19 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 15 · highest 85100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Lons Infant 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
Westwood Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil3.6 miles60Good 202382Compare
Wirksworth CofE Infant SchoolChurch of England7.0 miles47Good 202456Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 34 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 34% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 14 to 64. 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, 1.4 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.13
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.10
2024/25; 46 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 Lons Infant School a good school?

The figures are weak. Lons Infant School scores 34 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 72% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 14 to 64, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Lons Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Lons Infant School not judged at its last full inspection on 23 April 2025.

How many pupils does Lons Infant School have?

40 pupils aged 4 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 44% full.

Is Lons Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 24 places were empty in 2024/25 (30% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Lons Infant School?

Pupils were in school 93.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Lons Infant School?

The average class had 20.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
Tavistock Avenue, Ripley, DE5 3SE
Telephone
01773 744319
Website
www.lons.derbyshire.sch.uk
Headteacher
Miss Annette Guthrie
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-7
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Ripley
Constituency
Amber Valley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112710 · LAESTAB 8302377 · UKPRN 10076483

Where these figures come from