Find the best primary schools in Derbyshire Dales. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Derbyshire Dales has 60 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 60, 44 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 Derbyshire Dales 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hartington CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| Carsington and Hopton Primary School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| Elton CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| Kniveton CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| Matlock Bath Holy Trinity CofE Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| Stanton-in-Peak CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| Doveridge Primary School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Brassington Primary School |
There are 60 primary schools in Derbyshire Dales.
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 Derbyshire Dales, that council is Derbyshire. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 60 primary schools in Derbyshire Dales, 44 have a religious character: 42 Church of England, 1 Methodist and 1 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 Hartington CofE Primary School (4.8), Carsington and Hopton Primary School (4.8), Elton CofE Primary School (4.7), Kniveton CofE Primary School (4.7) and Matlock Bath Holy Trinity CofE Controlled 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 60 schools here, 52 have enough published data for a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.5 / 5 |
| Taddington and Priestcliffe School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| All Saints CofE Infant School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Fitzherbert CofE (Aided) Primary School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Wirksworth CofE Infant School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Bradwell CofE (Controlled) Infant School & Nursery | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Longford CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| Osmaston CofE (VC) Primary School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| Rowsley CofE (Controlled) Primary School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| All Saints CofE Junior School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| Hathersage St Michael's CofE (Aided) Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Longstone CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| St Anne's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Clifton CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Darley Churchtown Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Darley Dale Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Bakewell CofE Infant School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Great Hucklow CE Primary | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Stoney Middleton CofE (C) Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Middleton Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Grindleford Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Pilsley CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Oswald's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Kirk Ireton C of E Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Parwich Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Bishop Pursglove CofE (A) Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Curbar Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Litton CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Giles Church of England Primary and Nursery School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Eyam CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.3 / 5 |
| Bonsall CofE (A) Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| South Darley CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.1 / 5 |
| Wirksworth Junior School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Brailsford CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Bakewell Methodist Academy | Methodist | 3.0 / 5 |
| Cromford Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 2.9 / 5 |
| Castle View Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Tansley Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Sudbury Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Youlgrave, All Saints' CofE (VA) Primary School | Church of England | 2.6 / 5 |
| Bradwell Junior School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Hilltop Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Monyash CofE Primary School | Church of England | 1.2 / 5 |
| Ashbourne Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Biggin CofE Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Bradley CofE Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Hulland CofE Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Marston Montgomery Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Norbury CofE Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Sudbury Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Winster CofE Primary 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.
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.