Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School, Buxton
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Buxton. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. It was 67% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- 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
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School in detail
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Our school, Governors and staff warmly welcome you to Earl Sterndale C of E Primary School. We are a small, rural village school with a strong community ethos. With just two classes-Curlews (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) and Kestrels (Years 3-6)-we pride ourselves on knowing our children well and supporting them as individuals."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:20am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 1 family put Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School as their first choice and 4 named it as one of their preferences, for 1 place offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School are St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School (1.3 miles); Hollinsclough Church of England Academy (1.6 miles, Good); Harpur Hill Primary School (3.5 miles, Good, 67% reading, 60% maths); and Harpur Hill Primary School (3.5 miles).
St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary SchoolHollinsclough Church of England AcademyHarpur Hill Primary SchoolHarpur Hill Primary School
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 8 pupils (23.5%) received SEN support and 3 (8.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School had 3 teachers in 2026, one for every 9 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Main Road (se-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50).
Suspensions and exclusions
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Earl Sterndale creates a genuinely caring school community where children feel valued and secure, with staff who know each pupil well and listen to their concerns. The school excels at personal development, offering memorable experiences including visits, residential trips, and leadership opportunities that broaden pupils' understanding of the world. The phonics teaching is well structured with regular reading practice and adult support.
Key Strengths
- Warm, caring school environment where pupils feel safe and supported
- Strong phonics curriculum with clear learning objectives and well-matched reading materials
- Wide range of enriching extra-curricular activities and personal development opportunities
- Effective safeguarding arrangements
- Good pupil behaviour and collaboration during playtime
Areas for Improvement
- Mathematics and other subjects lack clear definition of what pupils should learn and when
- Teachers do not always check what pupils know well enough, leading to gaps going unnoticed
- Behaviour expectations during lessons are inconsistent, with some pupils disrupting others' learning
- Curriculum does not build logically and sequentially across the school, leaving pupils unprepared for the next stage
- Reading mistakes are not always corrected effectively, slowing progress in fluency
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong safeguarding culture in place.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir concerts, visits to places of worship, residential trips, leadership roles, breakfast club, after-school club
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is a warm and nurturing primary school where pupils feel well cared for and supported. However, evidence suggests some aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the previous inspection, with concerns about curriculum planning and behaviour expectations.
At a Glance
26.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
17.0
Avg class size
15.0
KS2
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Derbyshire
Term dates
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled 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 Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Earl Sterndale CofE Primary 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary 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
67%
Available places
28 pupils
42 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Buxton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Buxton
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
32.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
34
Total Pupils
18
Boys
16
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
11.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,576
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£12,761
Per pupil
£369k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
14.3%
Persistent absence
28
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School
What is Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Earl Sterndale CofE Primary 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 Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 67% of its 42 places.
How big are the classes at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
Classes at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School average 17 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School has around 34 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
6.2% of sessions were missed at Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 14.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Earl Sterndale CofE Primary 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 Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
What are Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School's term dates?
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled 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 Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is at Earl Sterndale, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 0BS.
Sources: Derbyshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)