Copthorne Community Infant School, Alfreton

Ofsted's report card from its 12 May 2026 inspection grades Copthorne Community Infant School on 7 areas: 1 expected standard, 2 needs attention and 4 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders provide a positive and well-designed personal development programme."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Leaders promote positive attendance habits through the class reward scheme."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders and staff know pupils well."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Due to ineffective teaching, pupils do not achieve as well as they should."

Curriculum and teaching - Urgent improvement. "Leaders have not acted quickly enough to bring about the necessary improvements to the curriculum and teaching."

Early years - Urgent improvement. "The school's provision for children in the early years has been unsettled due to numerous staffing changes over recent years."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "Leaders and governors do not have an accurate understanding of the school's performance or how to bring about the improvements needed."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that they take urgent action to improve the quality of the curriculum and teaching so that the areas of weaknesses are rapidly addressed, with particular regard to the early reading curriculum"; "Leaders should take urgent action to ensure that all pupils develop secure foundational knowledge and skills in English and mathematics, become fluent, confident readers, and that any gaps close quickly so that pupils are ready for the next stage in their education"; "Leaders should ensure that, by the end of Reception, children in the early years are fully prepared for Year 1 and are able to communicate, read, spell and acquire fluency in mathematics at a level that is appropriate for their age"; "Leaders and governors should ensure that they take suitable and timely action to deal with the areas of weakness in the school, basing their decisions on the best interests of pupils"; "Leaders should ensure that the support provided for disadvantaged pupils consistently reduces barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing"; "Leaders should ensure that their actions have the intended impact on raising overall rates of attendance and punctuality".

For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Copthorne Community Infant School as their first choice and 58 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Copthorne Community Infant School are Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.1 miles, Good, 96% reading, 96% maths); Croft Infant School (0.4 miles, Good); Woodbridge Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 59% reading, 61% maths); and Leys Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 73% maths).

43.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 2.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Copthorne Community Infant School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Alfreton Rail Station, about 1020 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Infants School (n-bound), 20 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Copthorne Community Infant School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 91 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Copthorne Community Infant School issued 6 suspensions, 6.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.