Hadfield Nursery School

About Hadfield Nursery School

If you're a parent in High Peak considering Hadfield Nursery School, the feedback from other families is strikingly positive. In the most recent Parent View survey, a remarkable 96% of respondents said they would recommend the school. That confidence is backed up by the detail: 88% of parents strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 92% strongly agreed that their child feels safe. Communication seems to be a real strength too, with 92% strongly agreeing the school makes them aware of what their child will learn, and 88% strongly agreeing they're kept informed about how their child is doing. The school is a state nursery for children aged 2 to 5, with just 54 pupils on roll, so it's a small, close-knit setting. Headteacher Kenneth Weed leads a team that clearly inspires trust, though it's worth noting the school doesn't publish an oversubscription ratio, so it's not possible to gauge how competitive places are from the data alone.

Academically, the picture is strong but nuanced. Hadfield Nursery School was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2025, with every graded category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — all judged Good. That's a change from its previous inspection in 2014, when it was rated Outstanding overall. The school sits within Derbyshire local authority, where only 2 out of 8 nursery schools currently hold an Outstanding rating, so a Good rating here still places it among the better-performing nurseries in the area. Because this is a nursery, there are no KS2 SATs or Progress 8 scores to report, so academic outcomes are measured through Ofsted's lens of early years provision. The inspection report notes that personal development and behaviour are both Good, which aligns with parent feedback: 75% of parents strongly agreed the school ensures pupils are well behaved.

On the practical side, Hadfield Nursery School offers a decent range of facilities for such a small setting, including a Forest School, art studios, a library, and a dining hall. Sports provision covers dance and swimming, and there are clubs like Eco Club, Book Club, and Gardening. For children with additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication difficulties — though the Parent View data shows no responses from parents of SEND children, so it's hard to assess how well those provisions work in practice. The school has a chapel on site, despite having no religious character, which is unusual. This is a nursery-only setting with no boarding, so it's designed for local families looking for a strong early years start. Given the small size and high parent satisfaction, it's likely to suit families who value close relationships with staff and a calm, well-communicated environment.

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