School Chooser

Somercotes Infant and Nursery School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedAcademy92 pupilsNurseryAlfretonDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
17
Below
similar schools
Likely range 7 to 39
Out of 100. Better than 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Attendance93.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families49%Far more than most schools
Places86 spare92 pupils, 178 places
Pupils per teacher15.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll92Census January 2026

Somercotes Infant and Nursery School is a sponsored academy in Alfreton for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 92 pupils and room for 178. About 49 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 17 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Nottingham Road, Somercotes, Alfreton, DE55 4LY01773 608678learnerstrust.org/sisMr Ben Rowland headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 February 2024, 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
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places100 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
56% full

80 places were empty (44% 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.

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 roll92Census January 2026
Places17852% full
Pupils from low-income families49%49% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%13 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.73 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)56%£77,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls39 / 53
White British pupils84%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (7), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), emotional and mental health (2), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1), Severe learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll9299111132123130
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals49%53%53%49%55%49%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%6%10%7%7%7%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%14%14%11%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%5%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.8%8.8%9.1%8.2%3.7%7.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.6%5.5%5.8%4.8%2.6%5.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%3.3%3.3%3.4%1.1%2.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.7%26.0%33.8%30.4%9.1%23.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.013.55.310.60.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00100

Staff and money

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

Teachers6.0full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher15.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,032
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.12024/25

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£9,081England £7,128. Total £899k
Income per pupil£10,535England £7,587. Total £1.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,505England £3,405
Money in reserve18%A healthy amount put by: £190k, £1,923 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£144kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,081spent 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 m42812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate157 per 1,000 people73% higher than the England average
Typical house price£235,000Amber Valley
Nearest bus stop30 mHigh Street, 18 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
Somerlea Park Junior SchoolAcademy270 m136Report card 202628Compare
Riddings Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil0.7 miles201No overall grade 202532Compare
Riddings Junior SchoolAcademy0.8 miles236Not inspected46Compare
Leys Junior SchoolCouncil1.0 miles160Good 202347Compare
Woodbridge Junior SchoolCouncil1.1 miles226Report card 20266Compare
Croft Infant SchoolCouncil1.2 miles166Good 202033Compare
Ironville and Codnor Park Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles126Good 202242Compare
Copthorne Community Infant SchoolCouncil1.5 miles96Report card 20260Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Somercotes Infant and Nursery School with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats52%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 17 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 17 · highest 91100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Somercotes Infant and 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
John King Infant AcademyAcademy2.3 miles90Outstanding 202489Compare
Walton Peak Flying High AcademyAcademy10.3 miles135Good 202452Compare
Netherfield Infant School (Welbeck Federation of Schools)Council13.8 miles88Good 202230Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 17 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 17% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 39. 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, 2.5 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%below
-0.16
2024/25; 73 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 Somercotes Infant and Nursery School a good school?

The figures are weak. Somercotes Infant and Nursery School scores 17 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 39, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

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

Ofsted rated Somercotes Infant and Nursery School good at its last full inspection on 27 February 2024.

How many pupils does Somercotes Infant and Nursery School have?

92 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 178 places, so it is 52% full.

Is Somercotes Infant and Nursery School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 80 places were empty in 2024/25 (44% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Somercotes Infant and Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 93.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 23.7 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
Nottingham Road, Somercotes, Alfreton, DE55 4LY
Telephone
01773 608678
Website
www.learnerstrust.org/sis
Headteacher
Mr Ben Rowland
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Learners' Trust (21 schools)
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Somercotes
Constituency
Amber Valley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2017 (new provision)
URN
142812 · LAESTAB 8302016 · UKPRN 10056536
Formerly
Somercotes Infant School

Where these figures come from