Lons Infant School, Ripley
Lons Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Ripley. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. It was 70% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Lons Infant School in detail
Lons Infant School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "There is also information available on our Admissions and Transition page. We are a small infant school, with children between the ages of 4 and 7 years old. Whilst they are with us in our school family, the children are nurtured and supported to promote their holistic development."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Lons Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 12 families put Lons Infant School as their first choice and 49 named it as one of their preferences, for 12 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lons Infant School are Ripley Junior School (0.6 miles); Ripley Infant School (0.7 miles, Good); Ripley St John's Church of England Primary School and Nursery (0.7 miles, Good, 71% reading, 75% maths); and Swanwick Primary School (1.3 miles, Requires improvement, 74% reading, 71% maths).
Ripley Junior SchoolRipley Infant SchoolRipley St John's Church of England Primary School and NurserySwanwick Primary School
What parents say
25 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lons Infant School (as of September 2025): 52% would recommend the school, 84% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (84%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (48%).
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 5 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 5 (12.5%) 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 Ambergate Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tavistock Avenue (sw-bound), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 136 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. 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, Lons Infant School issued 15 suspensions, 25.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lons Infant School are The Ripley Academy (1 mile) and Swanwick Hall School (1.5 miles).
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); 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will be part of an inclusive community where staff know them well and create a supportive environment where they feel valued and encouraged to succeed. The school has a particularly strong approach to reading and phonics from the start, with excellent support for any children who need extra help. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils and use enriching trips and visits to bring learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Excellent reading culture with consistent phonics teaching from Reception and strong support for struggling readers
- Early years provision is engaging with high priority on language development and children becoming highly independent
- Strong identification and support for pupils with SEND, who learn the same curriculum and achieve well
- Clear expectations and calm, positive behaviour with pupils following routines and engaging well in lessons
- Well-structured personal, social, health and economic curriculum supporting pupils' development and understanding of society
Areas for Improvement
- Limited opportunities for pupils to organise their own ideas and write explanations of what they have studied in subjects like science
- Teachers do not routinely check pupils' understanding effectively before teaching new topics, meaning gaps and misconceptions are not quickly identified
- Activities are not consistently designed to deepen pupils' understanding and help them apply and retain what they have learned
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with warm and respectful relationships between staff and pupils enabling them to share worries and concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Trips and visits through 'super starts' or 'fabulous finishes' to begin or finish topics, fundraising and community events
Lons Infant School is an inclusive and welcoming school where pupils enjoy coming and benefit from warm relationships with staff. The school has made many positive changes since its previous inspection to strengthen its broad and ambitious curriculum.
At a Glance
27.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
25 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
20.0
Avg class size
16.0
Infant (KS1)
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Lons Infant School
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Lons Infant School, with their latest published grades:
- Clowns Nursery (Cromford Road) - Day nursery, 0.1 miles
- Jen's Xplorers - Day nursery, 0.2 milesOfsted, 22 June 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Ripley Nursery School Childcare - Day nursery, 0.5 milesOfsted, 14 February 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Clowns Day Nursery LTD - Day nursery, 0.5 milesOfsted, 16 November 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Sunny Days Preschool Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, 0.8 milesOfsted, 9 May 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Term dates
Lons 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.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Friday 4 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Monday 26 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
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 Lons Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lons 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
- 33
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 28 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Lons Infant School
Will you get a place at Lons Infant School?
For 2026 entry it had 12 first choices for 12 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
70%
Available places
55 pupils
79 places
24 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Ripley Primary planning area (Derbyshire) will have 183 spare primary places in 2027/28. In the year groups that are short, it estimates 3 additional places needed.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
5
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
25.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
40
Total Pupils
19
Boys
21
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
13.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,075
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,463
Per pupil
£499k
Total funding
£27k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
13.0%
Persistent absence
46
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
Lons Infant School
Questions parents ask about Lons Infant School
What is Lons Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Lons Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in December 2022, it was rated Requires Improvement.
Is it hard to get a place at Lons Infant School?
Lons Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 70% of its 79 places.
How big are the classes at Lons Infant School?
Classes at Lons Infant School average 20 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Lons Infant School?
Lons Infant School has around 40 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lons Infant School?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Lons Infant School in 2024/25. 13% of pupils were persistently absent.
What are Lons Infant School's term dates?
Lons Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Derbyshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Friday 4 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Monday 26 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). 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 Lons Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 28 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Lons Infant School?
Lons Infant School is at Tavistock Avenue, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3SE.
Sources: Derbyshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)