Penny Acres Primary School, Dronfield
Penny Acres Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Dronfield. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 9 schools in Dronfield with published results, and 1st of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 111% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Penny Acres Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 100% of Year 6 pupils at Penny Acres Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 100% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Derbyshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (100% in reading, 100% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Penny Acres Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 6 families put Penny Acres Primary School as their first choice and 16 named it as one of their preferences, for 7 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 Penny Acres Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Penny Acres Primary School are William Levick Primary School (1.3 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); St Andrew's CofE Methodist (Aided) Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 88% reading, 91% maths); Totley Primary School (1.4 miles, Outstanding, 95% reading, 97% maths); and Gorseybrigg Primary School and Nursery (1.5 miles, Good, 93% reading, 87% maths).
Penny Acres Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
William Levick Primary SchoolSt Andrew's CofE Methodist (Aided) Primary SchoolTotley Primary SchoolGorseybrigg Primary School and Nursery
Who goes there
11.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 4 pupils (6.8%) received SEN support and 2 (3.4%) 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.
Staffing
Penny Acres Primary School had 4 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dore & Totley Rail Station, about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Penny Acres School (adjacent), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 4 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, burglary and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50).
Suspensions and exclusions
Penny Acres Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from January 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
11.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 100% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 100% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 71% to 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.5
Avg class size
34.0
KS2
2
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Penny Acres Primary School
Term dates
Penny Acres Primary 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Penny Acres Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Penny Acres 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)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Penny Acres Primary School
Will you get a place at Penny Acres Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Penny Acres Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Penny Acres Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Penny Acres 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 Penny Acres 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
111%
Over capacity
59 pupils
53 places
6 pupils over capacity 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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
4
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
10.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
59
Total Pupils
33
Boys
26
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
4
Teachers
14.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£59,936
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,341
Per pupil
£486k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
15.1%
Persistent absence
53
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Penny Acres Primary School
What are SATs results like at Penny Acres Primary School?
Of the pupils at Penny Acres Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 100% reached the expected standard in reading and 100% did so in maths.
What is Penny Acres Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Penny Acres Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Penny Acres Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Penny Acres 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 Penny Acres Primary School?
Penny Acres Primary School was full in 2025, at 111% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Penny Acres Primary School?
Classes at Penny Acres Primary School average 29.5 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Penny Acres Primary School?
Penny Acres Primary School has around 59 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Penny Acres Primary School?
5% of sessions were missed at Penny Acres Primary School in 2024/25. 15.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Penny Acres Primary School?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Penny Acres 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.
What are Penny Acres Primary School's term dates?
Penny Acres Primary 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 Penny Acres Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Penny Acres Primary School?
Penny Acres Primary School is at The Common, Holmesfield, Dronfield, Derbyshire, S18 7WP.
Sources: Derbyshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)