Hardwick Primary School, Derby
Hardwick Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Derby, part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 80th-highest of the 86 schools in Derby with published results, and 13,797th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derby (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Hardwick Primary School in detail
Hardwick Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils at Hardwick Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 46% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 70% in Derby and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 58% in reading and 55% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Hardwick Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Hardwick Primary School as their first choice and 178 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 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 Hardwick Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hardwick Primary School are Arboretum Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 57% reading, 60% maths); Dale Community Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 59% reading, 64% maths); Derby St Chad's CofE Nursery and Infant School (0.3 miles, Good); and Pear Tree Infant School (0.4 miles, Good).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Hardwick Primary School.
Arboretum Primary SchoolDale Community Primary SchoolDerby St Chad's CofE Nursery and Infant SchoolPear Tree Infant School
The trust
Hardwick Primary School is one of 33 schools run by Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
14 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hardwick Primary School (as of September 2025): 79% would recommend the school, 79% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (86%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).
Who goes there
66.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 88.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (62%), Mixed (6%) and Black (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Peartree Rail Station, about 1130 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stanhope Street (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hardwick Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1026 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 Derby (267), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Hardwick Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hardwick Primary School are UTC Derby Pride Park (1 mile), The Bemrose School (1.1 miles) and Derby Cathedral School (1.2 miles).
UTC Derby Pride ParkThe Bemrose SchoolDerby Cathedral School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 May 2014, 12 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 Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hardwick Primary School excels at creating a warm, supportive environment where every child feels valued and safe. The school prioritises language development and has exceptional support for pupils learning English as an additional language, helping them quickly become confident learners. Staff know pupils well and work hard to enrich their experiences through visits, residentials, and giving children genuine responsibilities that make a real difference to school life.
Key Strengths
- Strong emphasis on oracy and language development from early years with excellent phonics teaching
- Exceptional personal, social and health education curriculum that develops pupils' understanding of important values
- Outstanding support for pupils who speak English as an additional language, helping them settle quickly and access learning
- Calm, caring and harmonious behaviour throughout the school with rising attendance
- Rich enrichment experiences including visits, residentials, and trips, with pupils taking on meaningful responsibilities
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, learning activities do not consistently support pupils to achieve the curriculum's ambitious goals, with some pupils completing work that is not challenging enough
- Early years routines are not consistently well established and staff expectations are not always clear, leading to lost learning opportunities and occasional disengagement
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with strong culture and systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Seaside visits, residential trips, visits to places of worship, school council, sports council, sports committee, breakfast club, 'fab forty' enrichment offer
Hardwick Primary School is a nurturing primary school where pupils are happy, well cared for, and motivated to learn. The school has constructed a well-sequenced curriculum with high expectations, though some activities in a small number of subjects do not fully support pupils to achieve their ambitious goals.
At a Glance
66.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
14 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 58% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 55% to 46% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 67% to 60% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
29.8
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
19
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hardwick Primary School
Before and after school care
Hardwick 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 Derby
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hardwick Primary School.
- Genius Tuition Holiday Club Derby220m away · Not yet graded
- Y-Kidz Holiday Activity and Food programme Dale Community Primary school570m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hardwick Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hardwick Primary School is in Derby; for families living there:
Apply to Derby for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 113
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 18
- Children hurt
- 21
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 113 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 18 serious and 95 slight.
21 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 12 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise.
20 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 Derby is 24 (the median across 119 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 Hardwick Primary School
Will you get a place at Hardwick Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hardwick Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hardwick Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hardwick Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derby, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hardwick Primary School for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derby 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
99%
Near capacity
539 pupils
540 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Derby
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Derby
Across Derby council
Places available
3,564
Applications
2,643
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Derby council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
91
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
18.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
589
Total Pupils
299
Boys
290
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
26
Teachers
22.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,214
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,572
Per pupil
£4183k
Total funding
£517k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.8%
Overall absence
30.3%
Persistent absence
492
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
Hardwick Primary School
Questions parents ask about Hardwick Primary School
What are SATs results like at Hardwick Primary School?
Of the pupils at Hardwick Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% reached the expected standard in reading and 46% did so in maths.
What is Hardwick Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Hardwick Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Hardwick Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Hardwick Primary School is oversubscribed, Derby allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hardwick Primary School?
Hardwick Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Hardwick Primary School?
Classes at Hardwick Primary School average 29.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hardwick Primary School?
Hardwick Primary School has around 589 pupils on roll. 66% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hardwick Primary School?
7.8% of sessions were missed at Hardwick Primary School in 2024/25. 30.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hardwick Primary School?
Apply through Derby's coordinated admissions process, naming Hardwick 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 Hardwick Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Hardwick 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. Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Hardwick Primary School: Genius Tuition Holiday Club Derby (220m away, registered, not yet graded) and Y-Kidz Holiday Activity and Food programme Dale Community Primary school (570m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Hardwick Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 113 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 18 serious and 95 slight. 21 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 12 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise. 20 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 Derby is 24 (the median across 119 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hardwick Primary School?
Hardwick Primary School is at Dover Street, Derby, Derbyshire, DE23 6QP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)