Dunston Primary and Nursery Academy

About Dunston Primary and Nursery Academy

Dunston Primary and Nursery Academy sits within the Derbyshire local authority, a large county with 353 primary schools. Its most recent ranking places it 218th among those schools, putting it in the bottom half of the county. Among its immediate peers in Chesterfield, the school ranks 24th out of 25 primary schools, a position that places it well behind the top-performing local schools such as Wessington Primary School, Redhill Primary School, and Longford CofE Primary School, all of which achieved the highest possible ranking score. The school’s ranking metric is based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at key stage 2, and its score of 40 places it in the bottom 50 nationally. This context matters for parents weighing up options in the area, particularly those who prioritise academic outcomes when choosing a primary school.

In its most recent key stage 2 results, covering the 2023/24 academic year, only 40% of pupils at Dunston met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is significantly below the Derbyshire local authority average of 59%. Just 2% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects. Looking at individual subjects, 70% of pupils achieved the expected standard in writing, compared with 63% in maths and 56% in reading. Average scaled scores in reading and maths were both 101, which is the national baseline. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in March 2025, did not issue a new overall effectiveness grade, but the previous inspection in June 2022 rated the school as ‘Requires improvement’. In the 2025 inspection, inspectors judged behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision all as ‘Good’, while the quality of education remained ‘Requires improvement’.

Dunston is a mixed, state-funded primary and nursery academy for children aged 3 to 11, with a current roll of 255 pupils against a capacity of 270. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 53 applications for 24 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.21, and all 22 first-preference applicants were offered places. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 54.7%. Facilities include a gymnasium, art studios, music rooms, a sports hall, a sensory room and a chapel. The school offers a range of sports including gymnastics, cricket, netball, rounders and tennis, plus clubs such as gardening, drama, eco club and choir. Its SEND provisions cover eight areas, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. Parent View responses, based on 13 respondents, showed 38% would recommend the school, while 62% would not.

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