Penny Acres Primary School
The Common, Holmesfield, Dronfield, S18 7WP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr David Ratcliffe(Executive)
- Constituency
- North East Derbyshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 50
- Pupils on roll
- 59
- URN
- 112565
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01142890330
About this school
Penny Acres Primary School is a community primary school in Dronfield. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 59 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Penny Acres Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 July 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 100% | 71% | 88% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 29% | 38% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 114.0 | 110.0 | 112.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 113.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
Trends over time
How Penny Acres Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Derbyshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 100% | 58.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 88% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55 |
| 2023/24 | 60 |
| 2024/25 | 60 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Penny Acres Primary School compares
Penny Acres Primary School ranked 10th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 96% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 88% | 5% | 11.7% | 59 | — |
| William Levick Primary School | 81% | 2.7% | 8.6% | 207 | 1.3 miles |
| St Andrew's CofE Methodist (Aided) Primary School | 76% | 3% | 8.2% | 193 | 1.4 miles |
| Totley Primary School | 92% | 2.9% | 8.3% | 424 | 1.4 miles |
| Gorseybrigg Primary School and Nursery | 73% | 2.9% | 7.9% | 252 | 1.5 miles |
| Totley All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 81% | 2.8% | 8.5% | 217 | 1.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.67%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.03%
- Persistent absence
- 15.09%
Location
Nearby schools
-
William Levick Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Dronfield
-
St Andrew's CofE Methodist (Aided) Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Dronfield
-
Totley Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Sheffield
-
Gorseybrigg Primary School and Nursery1.5 miles
Primary · Dronfield
-
Totley All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Sheffield
Other schools in Dronfield
Penny Acres Primary School ranks 1st of the 9 ranked primary schools in Dronfield.
- Barlow CofE Primary School Primary
- Dronfield Infant School Primary
- Dronfield Junior School Primary
- Dronfield Stonelow Junior School Primary
- Gorseybrigg Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Holmesdale Infant School Primary
- Lenthall Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Northfield Junior School Primary
- St Andrew's CofE Methodist (Aided) Primary School Primary
- Unstone Junior School Primary
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School Primary
- William Levick Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Penny Acres Primary School teach?
- Penny Acres Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Dronfield.
- Who is the headteacher of Penny Acres Primary School?
- The headteacher of Penny Acres Primary School is Mr David Ratcliffe(Executive), as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Penny Acres Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Penny Acres Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Penny Acres Primary School?
- Penny Acres Primary School has 59 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Penny Acres Primary School full?
- Penny Acres Primary School has capacity for 50 pupils and 59 on roll (118%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Penny Acres Primary School a faith school?
- No. Penny Acres Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Penny Acres Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Penny Acres Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Penny Acres Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 100% in 2022/23 and 88% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Penny Acres Primary School compare with other schools in Derbyshire?
- Penny Acres Primary School ranked 10th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 96% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Penny Acres Primary School's absence rate?
- Penny Acres Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Penny Acres Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Penny Acres Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.