Riddings Infant and Nursery School, Alfreton
Riddings Infant and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Alfreton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2010. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- Ofsted
- Good (2010)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
Riddings Infant and Nursery School in detail
Riddings Infant and Nursery School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, athletics, gymnastics, badminton and multi-sports.
The school runs a breakfast club.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Riddings Infant and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 62 families put Riddings Infant and Nursery School as their first choice and 97 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Riddings Infant and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Riddings Infant and Nursery School are Riddings Junior School (0.2 miles, 68% reading, 72% maths); Somerlea Park Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 63% reading, 71% maths); Somercotes Infant and Nursery School (0.7 miles, Good); and Ironville and Codnor Park Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 62% reading, 62% maths).
Riddings Junior SchoolSomerlea Park Junior SchoolSomercotes Infant and Nursery SchoolIronville and Codnor Park Primary School
What parents say
49 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Riddings Infant and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
6.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Riddings Infant and Nursery School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Alfreton Rail Station, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Amber Business Centre (opposite), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 110 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, Riddings Infant and Nursery School issued 3 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Riddings Infant and Nursery School are Swanwick Hall School (1.2 miles) and David Nieper Academy (1.8 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2010, 16 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 March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a warm, nurturing environment where children thrive both academically and emotionally. The teaching of early reading is particularly strong, with pupils quickly becoming confident, fluent readers. Parents greatly value the caring support staff provide to both pupils and families, enabling children to feel safe and happy while learning well.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on developing communication, language and physical development in early years with staff engaging children effectively in conversation
- Highly effective phonics teaching that helps all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, become fluent readers quickly
- Well-planned curriculum with carefully mapped knowledge that builds over time
- Pupils behave well and show genuine care for each other, with joyful and cooperative playtimes
- School's 'KINDER values' and 'be kind' rule create a nurturing environment where staff help pupils manage their feelings and worries
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment information is not used consistently to adapt teaching across all curriculum areas
- Some pupils' work is not consistently high quality because teaching is not always adapted when there are gaps in knowledge
- Learning is sometimes not deepened for pupils who complete activities easily
- Assessment approaches in some areas of the curriculum need further development
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs (range available for 'Riddings 50' talent development), farm visits, place of worship visits, pantomime visits, fire safety training, road safety training, pupil parliament roles, safeguarding group roles, play leader roles
Riddings Infant and Nursery School is a happy school with a strong emphasis on kindness where pupils are enthusiastic learners and enjoy school. The school has been rated Good across all areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.
At a Glance
32.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
49 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
22.9
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Riddings Infant and Nursery School
September Newsletter 2026
22 Sep 2026
July Newsletter 2026
10 Jul 2026
June Newsletter 2026
5 Jun 2026
May Newsletter 2026
11 May 2026
April Newsletter 2026
17 Apr 2026
March Newsletter 2026
9 Mar 2026
From Riddings Infant and Nursery School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Riddings Infant and Nursery School
Term dates
Riddings Infant and Nursery 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 Riddings Infant and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Riddings Infant and Nursery 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Riddings Infant and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Riddings Infant and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Riddings Infant and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Riddings Infant and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Riddings Infant and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Riddings Infant and Nursery 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
101%
Over capacity
173 pupils
171 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Alfreton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Alfreton
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
23.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
201
Total Pupils
106
Boys
95
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
15.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,023
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,969
Per pupil
£1206k
Total funding
£94k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
10.0%
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
Riddings Infant and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Riddings Infant and Nursery School
What is Riddings Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Riddings Infant and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2010, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Riddings Infant and Nursery 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 Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
Riddings Infant and Nursery School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
Classes at Riddings Infant and Nursery School average 22.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
Riddings Infant and Nursery School has around 201 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Riddings Infant and Nursery School in 2024/25. 10% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Riddings 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.
What are Riddings Infant and Nursery School's term dates?
Riddings Infant and Nursery 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 Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 13 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Riddings Infant and Nursery School?
Riddings Infant and Nursery School is at West Street, Riddings, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 4EW.
Sources: Derbyshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)