School Chooser

Melbourne Infant & Nursery School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil139 pupilsNurseryDerbyDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
46
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 74, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 19% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, May 2026
Attendance96.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families12%Far fewer than most schools
Places71 spare139 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher24.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll139Census January 2026

Melbourne Infant & Nursery School is a council school in Derby for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 139 pupils and room for 210. About 12 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 46 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 19% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in May 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Packhorse Road, Melbourne, Derby, DE73 8JE01332 862325melbourne-inf.derbyshire.sch.ukMrs Charlotte Gibbs headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 12 May 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
15 February 2022S5 InspectionGood

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places137 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
76% full

43 places were empty (24% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 27% 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 roll139Census January 2026
Places21066% full
Pupils from low-income families12%12% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%12 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size27.85 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)12%£26,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls72 / 67
White British pupils87%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (9), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Hearing impairment (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll139138156175186191
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals12%11%10%11%12%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%4%3%1%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%5%3%1%3%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%3%2%1%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school7.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.5%3.6%5.0%6.2%1.9%2.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.0%3.2%4.5%5.9%1.7%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.5%0.3%0.5%0.3%0.2%0.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.4%3.6%12.4%22.4%1.6%1.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers5.6full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacher24.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£58,543
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher11.22024/25

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£6,811England £7,738. Total £940k
Income per pupil£6,999England £7,697. Total £966k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,357England £3,480
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £22k, £160 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£26kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,811spent 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 m11512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate42 per 1,000 people54% lower than the England average
Typical house price£259,000South Derbyshire
Nearest bus stop100 mPrimary School, 21 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
Melbourne Junior SchoolCouncil90 m226Good 202469Compare
Weston-on-Trent CofE (VA) Primary SchoolChurch of England1.8 miles147Good 202343Compare
St Hardulph's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.0 miles58Good 202242Compare
Chellaston Fields Spencer AcademyFree school2.4 miles187Good 202338Compare
Sale and Davys Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.8 miles107No overall grade 202575Compare
Foxbridge Primary SchoolFree school3.0 miles101No overall grade 202561Compare
Chellaston Infant SchoolAcademy3.0 miles215No overall grade 202536Compare
Homefields Primary SchoolAcademy3.0 miles340Good 202379Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Melbourne Infant & Nursery 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.

Beats19%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 46 is 15 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 7 · middle 62 · highest 93100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 46 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 46% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 74. 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
-0.29
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.22
2024/25; 95 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 Melbourne Infant & Nursery School a good school?

It is about average. Melbourne Infant & Nursery School scores 46 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 19% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 74, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

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

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 12 May 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 Melbourne Infant & Nursery School have?

139 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 66% full.

Is Melbourne Infant & Nursery School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 43 places were empty in 2024/25 (24% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Melbourne Infant & Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 96.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 27.8 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
Packhorse Road, Melbourne, Derby, DE73 8JE
Telephone
01332 862325
Website
www.melbourne-inf.derbyshire.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Charlotte Gibbs
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Melbourne
Constituency
South Derbyshire
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112594 · LAESTAB 8302175 · UKPRN 10076505

Where these figures come from