School Chooser

Spire Nursery and Infant School

Primary · ages 2-7MixedCouncil180 pupilsNurseryChesterfieldDerbyshire
School Chooser Score
33
Below
similar schools
Likely range 14 to 62, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 53% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, July 2023
Attendance94.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families54%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull180 pupils, 150 places
Pupils per teacher19.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll180Census January 2026

Spire Nursery and Infant School is a council school in Chesterfield for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 180 pupils, 30 more than it has places for. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 33 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 53% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Derby Road, Chesterfield, S40 2EU01246 234727spire-inf.derbyshire.sch.ukMrs Kelly Hill headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 4 July 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

A few spare places130 pupils for 142 places, 2024/25
92% full

About 12 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. 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 roll180Census January 2026
Places150120% full
Pupils from low-income families56%54% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English9%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%26 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.97 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)55%£119,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls93 / 87
White British pupils80%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (21), emotional and mental health (10), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll180186183210200207
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals56%54%56%55%55%39%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language9%11%10%8%6%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%16%18%31%26%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school17.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, 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 absence5.7%7.0%6.8%7.3%4.3%5.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.4%6.0%5.5%6.5%3.1%4.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.0%1.4%0.8%1.2%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence17.1%19.2%21.1%23.6%9.2%13.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.01.11.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.4full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher19.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,134
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher14.52024/25

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£9,547England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£9,303England £7,697. Total £1.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,522England £3,480
Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £249k, £1,529 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£40kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£9,547spent 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 m52612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate145 per 1,000 people59% higher than the England average
Typical house price£195,000Chesterfield
Nearest bus stop70 mStorforth Lane, 25 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
Spire Junior SchoolCouncil520 m154Good 20229Compare
Walton Peak Flying High AcademyAcademy770 m135Good 202452Compare
Hasland Infant SchoolCouncil0.6 miles312Good 202257Compare
William Rhodes Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.8 miles192No overall grade 202513Compare
Hasland Junior SchoolCouncil1.0 miles379Report card 202659Compare
Hunloke Park Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles357Requires improvement 2024Compare
Hady Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles328Good 202440Compare
Brampton Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles286No overall grade 20252Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Spire Nursery and 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.

Beats53%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 33 is 4 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 29 · highest 88100

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 Spire Nursery and 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
Norbriggs Primary SchoolCouncil5.4 miles182Good 202443Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 33 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 33% 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 62. 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% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.09
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.14
2024/25; 88 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 Spire Nursery and Infant School a good school?

The figures are weak. Spire Nursery and Infant School scores 33 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 53% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 14 to 62, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

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

Ofsted rated Spire Nursery and Infant School good at its last full inspection on 4 July 2023.

How many pupils does Spire Nursery and Infant School have?

180 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 120% full.

Is Spire Nursery and Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 12 places were empty in 2024/25 (9% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Spire Nursery and Infant School?

Pupils were in school 94.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 17% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 22.9 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
Derby Road, Chesterfield, S40 2EU
Telephone
01246 234727
Website
www.spire-inf.derbyshire.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Kelly Hill
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Derbyshire
Ward
Rother
Constituency
Chesterfield
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112660 · LAESTAB 8302285 · UKPRN 10069688

Where these figures come from