Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School, Derby
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Derby. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade. It was 88% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- 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 Derby (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School in detail
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of the Governors and staff I would like to welcome you to Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School. We consider our school to be a friendly and exciting place to learn, where our children are 'ready, respectful and engaged' in their learning."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, multi-sports and Lego.
The school runs a breakfast club.
Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 9am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 69 families put Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School as their first choice and 138 named it as one of their preferences, for 75 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 Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School are Ravensdale Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 73% reading, 78% maths); Mickleover Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 93% reading, 90% maths); Silverhill Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 89% reading, 85% maths); and Hackwood Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 87% reading, 87% maths).
Ravensdale Junior SchoolMickleover Primary SchoolSilverhill Primary SchoolHackwood Primary Academy
What parents say
35 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 86% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 44 pupils (16.5%) received SEN support and 4 (1.5%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Peartree Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Buxton Drive (s-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 112 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
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School are Murray Park Community School (0.3 miles) and Littleover Community School (1.2 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from June 2018, 8 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 July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Ravensdale is a caring school where children are happy and develop strong reading skills. The outdoor spaces are excellent for play and learning, and the school takes great care of pupils with additional needs, ensuring they get the support they need to succeed. Teachers know their subjects well and help children understand their learning through clear explanations.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching of early reading and phonics with excellent support for pupils who need extra help
- Excellent provision for pupils with SEND, with quick identification of needs and skilled adapted teaching
- Well-designed outdoor spaces that promote social development, physical fitness and pupil leadership through ranger and school council roles
- Clear subject knowledge demonstrated by staff with good explanations and carefully considered tasks
- Caring ethos focused on pupils' mental health and well-being through activities like rainbow breathing and mindfulness
Areas for Improvement
- A small number of subjects have curricula that are not fully designed and sequenced, meaning pupils struggle to remember what they have learned over time
- Assessment is not used consistently across all subjects to check understanding and provide helpful feedback to pupils
- Early writing skills need more systematic teaching, as some pupils lack secure handwriting and spelling
- In some subjects, teachers' checks of pupil understanding are less effective, leading to more variable work quality
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
trips and experiences, book-share weeks, stay and read sessions, outdoor ranger roles, school council, links with local authors and artists
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School provides a caring and nurturing environment where pupils are happy, behave well, and achieve strongly in early reading. The school has successfully revised its curriculum and maintains good provision across all areas, though some subjects need further refinement.
At a Glance
24.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
35 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
25.4
Avg class size
25.6
Infant (KS1)
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School
From Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School.
- Premier Education Holiday Club @ Murray Park570m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ravensdale Infant and Nursery 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
- 2
- 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, 2 serious and 6 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 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 Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derby, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
88%
Available places
238 pupils
270 places
32 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(8)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
18.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
267
Total Pupils
128
Boys
139
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,210
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,616
Per pupil
£1534k
Total funding
£94k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
7.7%
Persistent absence
183
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
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School
What is Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Ravensdale Infant and Nursery 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 Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?
Classes at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School average 25.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School has around 267 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School in 2024/25. 7.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?
Apply through Derby's coordinated admissions process, naming Ravensdale Infant 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.
Does Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School: Premier Education Holiday Club @ Murray Park (570m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Ravensdale Infant 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. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Derby is 24 (the median across 119 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School?
Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School is at Devonshire Drive, Mickleover, Derby, Derbyshire, DE3 9HE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)