Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School
Earl Sterndale, Buxton, SK17 0BS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Humpleby
- Diocese
- Diocese of Derby
- Constituency
- Derbyshire Dales
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 35
- Pupils on roll
- 34
- URN
- 112821
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 0129883263
About this school
Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Buxton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 34 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 10 December 2024, where inspectors found some aspects are not as strong as at the previous inspection. 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 | 9 | 4 | 4 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | - | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 44% | - | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 56% | - | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 33% | - | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | - | - |
| Reading progress | -5.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Earl Sterndale CofE 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 33 |
| 2023/24 | 30 |
| 2024/25 | 29 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.2% | 27.6% | 34 | — |
| St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School | — | — | — | 20 | 1.3 miles |
| Hollinsclough Church of England Academy | — | 25.4% | 34.3% | 34 | 1.6 miles |
| Harpur Hill Primary School | — | — | — | — | 3.5 miles |
| Monyash CofE Primary School | 38% | 4.9% | 26.5% | 48 | 3.7 miles |
| Taddington and Priestcliffe School | 88% | 3.3% | 13.1% | 64 | 3.9 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)
- 27.59%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 6.21%
- Persistent absence
- 14.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Buxton
-
Hollinsclough Church of England Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Buxton
-
Harpur Hill Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Buxton
-
Monyash CofE Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Bakewell
-
Taddington and Priestcliffe School3.9 miles
Primary · Buxton
Other schools in Buxton
- Biggin CofE Primary School Primary
- Bishop Pursglove CofE (A) Primary School Primary
- Burbage Primary School Primary
- Buxton Infant School Primary
- Buxton Junior School Primary
- Dove Holes CofE Primary School Primary
- Fairfield Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Great Hucklow CE Primary Primary
- Harpur Hill Primary School Primary
- Hartington CofE Primary School Primary
- Hollinsclough Church of England Academy Primary
- Litton CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School teach?
- Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Buxton.
- Who is the headteacher of Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is Mrs Sarah Humpleby, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Earl Sterndale CofE 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 big is Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School?
- Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School has 34 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School full?
- Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School has capacity for 35 pupils and 34 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Derby.
- Does Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- What is Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Earl Sterndale CofE 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.