Taddington and Priestcliffe School

About Taddington and Priestcliffe School

Taddington and Priestcliffe School, a Church of England primary in Derbyshire Dales, has held a Good rating from Ofsted across both its most recent inspections, most recently in 2024. The inspection report highlights a standout area: personal development was judged Outstanding, the only category to reach that top tier. Academically, the school’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year tell a strong story. 82% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well above the Derbyshire local authority average of 59%. In reading and writing individually, every single pupil (100%) reached the expected standard, while 82% did so in maths. At the higher standard, 36% achieved in reading and maths, and 55% in writing. The school’s average scaled scores of 107 in both reading and maths are solid, and its overall ranking places it 6th out of 35 primary schools in the Derbyshire Dales local authority area, putting it in the top 10% regionally and top 8% nationally.

The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available in the data, so it’s not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. However, the raw attainment figures are strong, particularly the universal expected standard in reading and writing. The Ofsted report notes that behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and the quality of education are all Good, while early years provision is also Good. The previous inspection in 2014 also rated overall effectiveness as Good, so the school has maintained a consistent standard over a decade. With only 61 pupils on roll against a capacity of 56, the school is slightly over capacity, and 13.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is close to the national average for primary schools.

Taddington and Priestcliffe is a small, oversubscribed school — for the 2025/26 intake, it received 15 applications for just 6 places, a ratio of 2.5 to 1, and all first-preference applicants were offered a place. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a library, playing fields, a sensory room, a forest school, an ICT suite, art studios, a sports hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, cricket, dance, netball, football and tennis, and clubs include drama, science club, chess and book club. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that suits families looking for a small, church-affiliated primary with strong academic outcomes, a personal development focus rated Outstanding, and a rural setting in the Peak District.

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