Bakewell Methodist Academy

About Bakewell Methodist Academy

Bakewell Methodist Academy, a state primary for pupils aged 7 to 11 in the Derbyshire Dales, received a Requires Improvement rating in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021. This is the same overall rating the school held in its previous graded inspection in 2018, meaning there has been no change in its headline judgement. However, the breakdown from the 2021 inspection tells a more nuanced story. While leadership and management, and the quality of education, were both judged to require improvement, inspectors rated personal development and behaviour and attitudes as Good. This suggests that while academic delivery needs work, the school’s environment and pastoral care are stronger. With only 55 pupils on roll against a capacity of 150, the school is significantly under-subscribed, and 45.5% of its pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure well above the national average.

On academic outcomes, the most relevant metric for this primary school is the Key Stage 2 performance. The local authority average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths is 59%. Bakewell Methodist Academy’s own KS2 results are not provided in the data, so it is not possible to say whether it meets, exceeds, or falls short of this benchmark. The school’s Requires Improvement rating for quality of education, however, indicates that inspectors had concerns about the curriculum and teaching standards. Compared with its previous inspection, the school has maintained the same rating for overall effectiveness, but the 2021 report highlights that personal development and behaviour have improved to Good, whereas in 2018 those areas were not separately graded. For parents focused on raw academic data, the absence of published exam results means the Ofsted judgement is the main public indicator of classroom quality.

The school offers a range of facilities including an art studio, ICT suite, library, gymnasium, music rooms and a chapel, reflecting its Methodist foundation. Sports provision covers gymnastics, football, netball and cricket, while extracurricular clubs include chess, coding, art, gardening and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its small size and high proportion of pupils on free school meals, this is a school that serves a specific local community rather than drawing from a wide catchment. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Stanton-in-Peak CofE Primary School, 4.2 km away, which may be an alternative for families prioritising a top Ofsted grade. Bakewell Methodist Academy will suit parents who value a small, inclusive setting with strong pastoral care and a Methodist ethos, and who are comfortable with a school that is still working on its academic delivery.

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