Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School
Crow Lane, Unstone, Dronfield, S18 4AL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rachael Fowlds
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Federation
- Unstone Schools Federation
- Constituency
- North East Derbyshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 49
- Pupils on roll
- 50
- URN
- 112643
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01246412096
About this school
Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School is a community primary school in Dronfield. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 50 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 42 |
| 2023/24 | 43 |
| 2024/25 | 42 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.7% | 34.3% | 50 | — |
| Unstone Junior School | 67% | 5.3% | 47.5% | 49 | 0.3 miles |
| Dronfield Stonelow Junior School | 76% | 4.7% | 37.8% | 139 | 1.3 miles |
| Northfield Junior School | 75% | 2.8% | 19.1% | 165 | 1.3 miles |
| Holmesdale Infant School | — | 4.8% | 16.9% | 150 | 1.4 miles |
| Mary Swanwick Primary School | 72% | 4.9% | 46.1% | 239 | 1.5 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)
- 34.29%
- English as an additional language
- 4.8%
- Overall absence
- 6.69%
- Persistent absence
- 13.04%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Unstone Junior School0.3 miles
Primary · Dronfield
-
Dronfield Stonelow Junior School1.3 miles
Primary · Dronfield
-
Northfield Junior School1.3 miles
Primary · Dronfield
-
Holmesdale Infant School1.4 miles
Primary · Dronfield
-
Mary Swanwick Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Chesterfield
Other 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
- Penny Acres Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's CofE Methodist (Aided) Primary School Primary
- Unstone Junior School Primary
- William Levick Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School teach?
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Dronfield.
- Who is the headteacher of Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School?
- The headteacher of Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School is Mrs Rachael Fowlds, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant 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 big is Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School?
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School has 50 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School full?
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School has capacity for 49 pupils and 50 on roll (102%), 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 Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School a faith school?
- No. Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School?
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School is part of the Unstone Schools Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School's absence rate?
- Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Unstone St Mary's Nursery & Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.