Best Schools in Ilkeston

How many schools are there in Ilkeston?

Ilkeston has 25 open schools: 20 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Ilkeston are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Ilkeston was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Charlotte Nursery and Infant School. Counting Good as well, 86% of the 21 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Charlotte Nursery and Infant School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Ilkeston get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Ilkeston with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 44.4 and 38% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 43.8 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Kirk Hallam Community Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.6 and 40% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary AcademyOrmiston Ilkeston Enterprise AcademyKirk Hallam Community Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Ilkeston have the best SATs results?

Of the 15 primary schools in Ilkeston with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Morley Primary School (92% in reading, 100% in maths); St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy (82% in reading, 85% in maths); and Dallimore Primary & Nursery School (74% in reading, 88% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Morley Primary SchoolSt Thomas Catholic Voluntary AcademyDallimore Primary & Nursery School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Ilkeston?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Ilkeston selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Ilkeston have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Ilkeston have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Derbyshire allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Ilkeston?

Apply to Derbyshire through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.