Portway Infant School, Derby
Portway Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Derby. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. It was 64% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- 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 Derby (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Portway Infant School in detail
Portway Infant School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Our motto is 'Learning, caring, sharing'. We aim to ensure that all children achieve their potential and feel safe and happy in our care. We hope to send them to the junior school well equipped to walk well through the rest of their education and life."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, tennis, dance, ukulele and gardening.
Coming up: an open day on Friday 27 November 2026 and an open day on Monday 14 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Portway Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 36 families put Portway Infant School as their first choice and 108 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 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 Portway Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Portway Infant School are Portway Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 72% reading, 73% maths); Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 85% reading, 81% maths); Lawn Primary School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 89% reading, 89% maths); and The Curzon CofE Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 73% reading, 55% maths).
Portway Junior SchoolWalter Evans Church of England Aided Primary SchoolLawn Primary SchoolThe Curzon CofE Primary School
Who goes there
5.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%) and Mixed (7%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Duffield (Ecclesbourne Valley Railway), about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Firs Crescent (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Portway Infant School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 56 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Derby (267).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Portway Infant School issued 6 suspensions, 3.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Portway Infant School are Allestree Woodlands School (0.3 miles); and Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.8 miles).
Allestree Woodlands SchoolSaint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from December 2013, 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 December 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Portway Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Portway Infant School.
- Portway Activity CampAt the school · Not yet graded
- Schools Out Holiday Club740m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Portway Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Portway Infant 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
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, 1 serious and 7 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
3 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 Portway Infant School
Will you get a place at Portway Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Portway Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Portway Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Portway Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derby, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Portway Infant School for 2014 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
64%
Available places
172 pupils
270 places
98 spare places 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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
35
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
25.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
168
Total Pupils
88
Boys
80
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
21.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,048
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,321
Per pupil
£1033k
Total funding
£32k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
8.3%
Persistent absence
120
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
Portway Infant School
Questions parents ask about Portway Infant School
What is Portway Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Portway Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Portway Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Portway Infant 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 Portway Infant School?
Portway Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 64% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Portway Infant School?
Classes at Portway Infant School average 28 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Portway Infant School?
Portway Infant School has around 168 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Portway Infant School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Portway Infant School in 2024/25. 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Portway Infant School?
Apply through Derby's coordinated admissions process, naming Portway Infant 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 Portway Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Portway Activity Camp (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Portway Infant 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, 1 serious and 7 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 3 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 Portway Infant School?
Portway Infant School is at Woodlands Road, Allestree, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 2HE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)