Charlesworth Voluntary Controlled Primary School

About Charlesworth Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Charlesworth Voluntary Controlled Primary School holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained consistently across its two most recent inspections, the latest of which took place in 2023. The school received Good marks across every category inspected, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. However, the most telling academic metric is the Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, where just 38% of pupils met the benchmark in the 2023/24 assessments. This places the school well below the Derbyshire local authority average of 59%, and ranks it 30th out of 34 primary schools in the High Peak area. Nationally, Charlesworth sits in the bottom 8% of schools for this measure, a statistic that parents will want to weigh carefully when considering the school's overall offering.

Looking deeper into the individual subject results, the picture is mixed. Reading was the strongest area, with 62% of pupils reaching the expected standard and 23% achieving the higher standard, while the average reading score of 103 was above the national baseline of 100. Maths told a different story: 54% reached the expected standard, but only 8% hit the higher mark, and the average score was exactly 100. Writing was the weakest subject, with just 46% at the expected level and no pupils reaching the higher standard. The school has no progress scores published for any subject, so it is difficult to assess how much value it adds relative to pupils' starting points. With 12.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a slightly above-average proportion of disadvantaged children compared with the national primary average, which may partly contextualise these outcomes.

The school is small, with 104 pupils against a capacity of 119, and it is noticeably oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 26 applications for just 8 places, a ratio of 3.25 applicants per place. All 8 first-preference applicants were offered a spot, suggesting that local families who prioritise the school are likely to secure a place. Facilities are a real strength, including a forest school, sensory room, music rooms, chapel, and a full sports hall, alongside clubs such as art, coding, chess, choir and science. The school supports pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. For families who value a small, community-focused primary with strong facilities and a Christian non-denominational character, Charlesworth offers a distinctive package, though the academic results warrant close attention.

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