Dronfield Infant School, Dronfield
Dronfield Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Dronfield. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. It was 70% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Dronfield Infant School in detail
Dronfield Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "Please use the drop down menu to find out more about our school."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Dronfield Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 54 families put Dronfield Infant School as their first choice and 97 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Dronfield Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Dronfield Infant School are Dronfield Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 71% reading, 71% maths); Dronfield Stonelow Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 85% reading, 83% maths); Holmesdale Infant School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); and Lenthall Infant and Nursery School (0.6 miles, Good).
Dronfield Junior SchoolDronfield Stonelow Junior SchoolHolmesdale Infant SchoolLenthall Infant and Nursery School
What parents say
51 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Dronfield Infant School (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 33% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (33%).
Who goes there
7.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (89%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 6 pupils (3%) received SEN support and 7 (3.5%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dronfield Rail Station, about 240 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fletcher Avenue (adjacent), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Dronfield Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2013, 13 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
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Dronfield Infant School aims for everyone to 'learn together, believe and achieve.' This aim is realised. Pupils work hard, grow in confidence and achieve well. They are helped to do this by a strong team of staff who are united in their ambition. The school is a cohesive community.
Pupils behave well. They are polite and courteous. They enjoy the wide range of rewards on offer. For example, 'Hot Choc Fridays' with the headteacher, 'wow moments', earning tokens and special awards. These all motivate pupils to behave well and to work hard. Pupils know that the school expects them to be 'ready, respectful and safe'. They live up to these expectations.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Due to a change in the number of pupils on the school's roll, the school is in the process of reorganising its curriculum. It is doing this well. The curriculum continues to take full account of what pupils have learned before and prepares them well for what will come next. However, this work is at an early stage. While the first year of the curriculum is well organised and fit for purpose, the school has yet to complete this work ready for its second year of implementation.
In the majority of subjects, and across the early years, pupils remember what they have been taught. In some cases, this is to an impressive degree. For example, in geography, a group of Year 2 pupils talked confidently about what they had learned the previous year. They were able to recall the names of the countries that make up the United Kingdom and name the seas that surround them. However, this is not consistent. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the content that pupils are expected to learn and remember. In these cases, pupils' recall is inconsistent.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its June 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
7.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
51 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
28.6
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Dronfield Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Dronfield Infant School.
- School Lane Kids ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Holmesdale Kids Club940m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Dronfield Infant 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Dronfield Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dronfield Infant 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
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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
Your chances of a place at Dronfield Infant School
Will you get a place at Dronfield Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dronfield Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dronfield Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dronfield Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Dronfield Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derbyshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
70%
Available places
190 pupils
270 places
80 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dronfield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dronfield
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.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
6
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
6.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
199
Total Pupils
110
Boys
89
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
22.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,324
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,215
Per pupil
£1100k
Total funding
£24k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
7.0%
Persistent absence
128
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
Dronfield Infant School
Questions parents ask about Dronfield Infant School
What is Dronfield Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Dronfield Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Dronfield Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Dronfield Infant 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 Dronfield Infant School?
Dronfield Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 70% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Dronfield Infant School?
Classes at Dronfield Infant School average 28.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Dronfield Infant School?
Dronfield Infant School has around 199 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dronfield Infant School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Dronfield Infant School in 2024/25. 7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dronfield Infant School?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Dronfield Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Dronfield Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: School Lane Kids Club (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Dronfield Infant School's term dates?
Dronfield Infant 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 Dronfield Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Dronfield Infant School?
Dronfield Infant School is at School Lane, Dronfield, Derbyshire, S18 1RY.
Sources: Derbyshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)