Find the best primary schools in Derby. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Derby has 75 primary schools, all in Derby 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 75, 14 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 Derby 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Castleward Spencer Academy | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Griffe Field Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 4.7 / 5 |
| Alvaston Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Lawn Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Ridgeway Infant School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Oakwood Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Rosehill Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
There are 75 primary schools in Derby. Of those, 1 is an all-through school, teaching both primary and secondary years.
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. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 75 primary schools in Derby, 14 have a religious character: 7 Church of England, 5 Roman Catholic, 1 Muslim and 1 Sikh. 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 Castleward Spencer Academy (4.8), Griffe Field Primary School (4.7), St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy (4.7), Alvaston Infant and Nursery School (4.7) and Lawn Primary School (4.7). 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 75 schools here, 74 have enough published data for a rating.
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.
| Mickleover Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Chellaston Infant School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Portway Infant School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Shelton Infant School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Carlyle Infant and Nursery Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Redwood Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Silverhill Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Gayton Junior School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Borrow Wood Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Parkview Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Oak Grange Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Walter Evans Church of England Aided Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Homefields Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hackwood Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Derby St Chad's CofE Nursery and Infant School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Pear Tree Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Springfield Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Cherry Tree Hill Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Markeaton Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Werburgh's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Ravensdale Junior School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Meadow Farm Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Alban's Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.7 / 5 |
| Portway Junior School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Oakwood Junior School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Zaytouna Primary School | Muslim | 3.6 / 5 |
| Ashwood Spencer Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Cavendish Close Infant School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Brookfield Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| Landau Forte Academy Moorhead | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Wyndham Spencer Academy | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Brackensdale Spencer Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Akaal Primary School | Sikh | 3.4 / 5 |
| Reigate Park Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Wren Park Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| St Peter's Church of England Aided Junior School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| The Bemrose School | all-through | 3.4 / 5 |
| Cavendish Close Junior Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Chellaston Junior School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| St James' Church of England Aided Junior School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Ashgate Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Becket Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Asterdale Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Village Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Chaddesden Park Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Shelton Junior School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Arboretum Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Grampian Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 2.9 / 5 |
| Lakeside Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Ash Croft Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Roe Farm Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Firs Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Beaufort Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Alvaston Junior Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Cottons Farm Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Breadsall Hill Top Primary School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Dale Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.4 / 5 |
| Pear Tree Community Junior School | Mixed | 1.8 / 5 |
| Derwent Primary School | Mixed | 1.6 / 5 |
| Hardwick Primary School | Mixed | 1.3 / 5 |
| Allenton Primary School | Mixed | 1.0 / 5 |
| St James' Church of England Aided Infant School | Church of England | 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.
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.