Find the best primary schools in Amber Valley. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Amber Valley has 58 primary schools, all in Derbyshire council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 58, 21 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Amber Valley primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| Aldercar Infant School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Holbrook Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| Crich Carr CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| Duffield the Meadows Primary School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Kirk Langley CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| Mugginton CofE Primary School |
There are 58 primary schools in Amber Valley.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Amber Valley, that council is Derbyshire. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 58 primary schools in Amber Valley, 21 have a religious character: 19 Church of England and 2 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary School (4.8), Aldercar Infant School (4.7), Holbrook Church of England Primary School (4.7), Crich Carr CofE Primary School (4.7) and Duffield the Meadows Primary School (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 58 schools here, 55 have enough published data for a rating.
| Church of England |
| 4.4 / 5 |
| Croft Infant School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Riddings Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Crich Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Lea Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Herbert Strutt Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Coppice Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Ripley Infant School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| St Elizabeth's Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 4.1 / 5 |
| Somercotes Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Denby Free CofE VA Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Kilburn Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Corfield CofE Infant School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Ripley St John's Church of England Primary School and Nursery | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Turnditch Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Howitt Primary Community School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Laceyfields Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Riddings Junior School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Waingroves Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Loscoe CofE Primary School and Nursery | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| St John's CofE Primary School and Nursery | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Lons Infant School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Leys Junior School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Swanwick Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Crich Junior School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Long Row Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Horsley Woodhouse Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Heage Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Kilburn Junior School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Ambergate Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Mundy CofE Junior School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| Street Lane Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Langley Mill Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Milford Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Fritchley CofE (Aided) Primary & Nursery School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Mapperley CofE Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Ironville and Codnor Park Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| South Wingfield Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Horsley CofE (Controlled) Primary School | Church of England | 3.1 / 5 |
| Richardson Endowed Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| The Curzon CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Copthorne Community Infant School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Langley Mill Church of England Infant School and Nursery | Church of England | 2.9 / 5 |
| Pottery Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Somerlea Park Junior School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Woodbridge Junior School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Marlpool Junior School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Heage Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Marlpool Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Ripley Junior School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.