Cotmanhay Junior School, Ilkeston
Cotmanhay Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Ilkeston. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 15 schools in Ilkeston with published results, and 13,056th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Capacity
- Full
- Attendance
- Below England average
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cotmanhay Junior School in detail
Results
In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils at Cotmanhay Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 62% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Derbyshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 52% in reading and 55% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Cotmanhay Junior School
Across Derbyshire, 95% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Derbyshire lodged 161 appeals against primary school offers; 108 reached a hearing and 13 succeeded (12% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cotmanhay Junior School are Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School (under 0.1 miles, Good); Granby Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 55% reading, 58% maths); Charlotte Nursery and Infant School (0.7 miles, Outstanding); and Awsworth Primary and Nursery School (1.1 miles, Good, 70% reading, 62% maths).
Cotmanhay Junior School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery SchoolGranby Junior SchoolCharlotte Nursery and Infant SchoolAwsworth Primary and Nursery School
What parents say
15 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cotmanhay Junior School (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 80% say their child is happy there and 83% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (100%); the weakest, that their child is happy at the school (80%).
Who goes there
70.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 83 pupils (30.4%) received SEN support and 22 (8.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Staffing
Cotmanhay Junior School had 18 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ilkeston Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Jolley Farmers (opposite), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 109 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cotmanhay Junior School issued 25 suspensions, 8.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2015, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cotmanhay Junior School creates a happy, safe learning community where every child feels known and valued. Staff build exemplary relationships with pupils and provide excellent support for those with additional needs. The school is committed to helping pupils develop as rounded individuals, teaching them about diverse cultures and how to manage their emotions.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary relationships between staff and pupils with a nurturing, supportive environment
- Well-organised curriculum with clear learning expectations at each stage
- Strong support for pupils with SEND through tailored interventions and specialist provision
- Significant focus on personal development, including emotional wellbeing and understanding different cultures
- Good behaviour with effective reward systems that motivate pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils do not consistently remember what they have learned over time, affecting overall achievement
- Teachers do not always check carefully enough during lessons to see how well pupils are learning
- Some teachers pronounce phonics sounds incorrectly, causing pupils to replicate these mistakes
- Recent curriculum improvements are new and have not yet fully impacted pupil outcomes
- Attendance remains persistently low despite the school's extensive efforts
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a strong culture prioritising pupil safety and wellbeing.
Cotmanhay Junior School is a calm, caring community with high expectations where pupils behave well and feel valued. However, the quality of education requires improvement due to inconsistencies in how well pupils learn and remember the curriculum.
At a Glance
70.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
15 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 52% to 56% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 55% to 62% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 57% to 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.0
Avg class size
21.0
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cotmanhay Junior School
Term dates
Cotmanhay Junior School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Derbyshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Wednesday 22 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Thursday 6 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February 2028)
- Summer term: Monday 24 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cotmanhay Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cotmanhay Junior School is in Derbyshire; for families living there:
- Derbyshire's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy 2026 to 2027 - 465KB
- How to apply: Apply for home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 10 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
280 pupils
280 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ilkeston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ilkeston
Across Derbyshire council
Places available
9,875
Applications
7,189
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Derbyshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
83
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
38.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
273
Total Pupils
150
Boys
123
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
15.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,864
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,309
Per pupil
£2149k
Total funding
£274k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
24.6%
Persistent absence
297
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Cotmanhay Junior School
Questions parents ask about Cotmanhay Junior School
What are SATs results like at Cotmanhay Junior School?
Of the pupils at Cotmanhay Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 56% reached the expected standard in reading and 62% did so in maths.
What is Cotmanhay Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Cotmanhay Junior School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cotmanhay Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Cotmanhay Junior School is oversubscribed, Derbyshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cotmanhay Junior School?
Cotmanhay Junior School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Cotmanhay Junior School?
Classes at Cotmanhay Junior School average 21 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cotmanhay Junior School?
Cotmanhay Junior School has around 273 pupils on roll. 70% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cotmanhay Junior School?
7% of sessions were missed at Cotmanhay Junior School in 2024/25. 24.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cotmanhay Junior School?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Cotmanhay Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
What are Cotmanhay Junior School's term dates?
Cotmanhay Junior School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Derbyshire. In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Wednesday 22 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Thursday 6 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February 2028); Summer term: Monday 24 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Cotmanhay Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 10 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cotmanhay Junior School?
Cotmanhay Junior School is at Beauvale Drive, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8RR.
Sources: Derbyshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)