Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School, High Peak
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in High Peak. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 11 schools in High Peak with published results, and 1,757th of 14,452 across England. It was 71% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School in detail
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of the children, staff and governors I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School. It is a real privilege to be the Headteacher of our school and to work with such a dedicated team to provide the very best education and life skills for the children in our care."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Derbyshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 94% in reading and 50% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 7 families put Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School as their first choice and 14 named it as one of their preferences, for 7 places 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 Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School are Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation) (1.1 miles, Good, 87% reading, 73% maths); Buxworth Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 76% reading, 41% maths); St George's CofE Primary School (1.3 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 69% maths); and St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy (1.4 miles, Good, 90% reading, 75% maths).
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation)Buxworth Primary SchoolSt George's CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy
What parents say
34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (79%).
Who goes there
2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (92%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 9 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 5 (6.9%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Furness Vale Rail Station, about 60 metres away (roughly a 1-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (adjacent), 30 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School issued 2 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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); 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 April 2015, 11 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?
Pupils love their school. They say that teachers are caring and are always there to help them. Pupils are proud to share their work and achievements with staff. Children in the early years quickly form trusting relationships with the adults they work with.
There is a strong sense of community at this school. Governors and staff work together to achieve the school's vision that pupils will have 'happy hearts, enquiring minds, positive futures'. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. One parent, typical of many, described the school as 'extremely welcoming, inclusive and warm'.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The curriculum has been carefully designed and sets out precisely what pupils should learn and when. This includes the most complex aspects of the subjects that pupils study, such as how to think like a scientist. In some subjects, the school has recently redesigned the curriculum to make it even more ambitious about what pupils will learn.
The early years curriculum is equally ambitious about what children should learn. Children are prepared well for key stage 1. They make the most of the outdoor environment to develop their physical and social skills. Staff regularly use questioning to help children develop their understanding. However, they do not always help children as well as they could to make links between what they have been taught and their independent learning.
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 Good at its April 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
26.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
34 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 remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 50% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 75% to 93% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
15.7
Avg class size
10.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School
Term dates
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery 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 Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Furness Vale Primary and Nursery 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 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 Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery 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
71%
Available places
82 pupils
116 places
34 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - High Peak
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for High Peak
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(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
9
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
19.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
72
Total Pupils
40
Boys
32
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
10.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,314
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,778
Per pupil
£622k
Total funding
£35k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
6.6%
Persistent absence
76
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
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School
What are SATs results like at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
Of the pupils at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Furness Vale Primary and Nursery 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 Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 116 places.
How big are the classes at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
Classes at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School average 15.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School has around 72 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School in 2024/25. 6.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Furness Vale Primary and Nursery 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.
What are Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School's term dates?
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery 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 Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 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 Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School?
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School is at Buxton Road, Furness Vale, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK23 7PQ.
Sources: Derbyshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)