South Darley CofE Primary School
Cross Green, Matlock, DE4 2JT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Wilde
- Diocese
- Diocese of Derby
- Constituency
- Derbyshire Dales
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 70
- Pupils on roll
- 54
- URN
- 112842
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01629732240
About this school
South Darley CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Matlock. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 54 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 June 2024, 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 | 8 | 9 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 56% | 44% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 11% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 89% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 67% | 56% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 67% | 56% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.60 | - | - |
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 South Darley 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 | Derbyshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63% | 58.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 44% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55 |
| 2023/24 | 58 |
| 2024/25 | 56 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How South Darley CofE Primary School compares
South Darley CofE Primary School ranked 199th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44% | 3% | 23.2% | 54 | — |
| Darley Churchtown Church of England Primary School | 70% | 7.2% | 58% | 41 | 1.0 miles |
| Darley Dale Primary School | 63% | 3.1% | 21.6% | 214 | 1.0 miles |
| Winster CofE Primary School | — | 4.9% | 28.6% | 4 | 1.5 miles |
| All Saints CofE Junior School | 86% | 2.7% | 14.6% | 218 | 1.5 miles |
| All Saints CofE Infant School | — | 3.4% | 7.9% | 142 | 1.8 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)
- 23.21%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 3.04%
- Persistent absence
- 3.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Darley Churchtown Church of England Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Matlock
-
Darley Dale Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Matlock
-
Winster CofE Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Matlock
-
All Saints CofE Junior School1.5 miles
Primary · Matlock
-
All Saints CofE Infant School1.8 miles
Primary · Matlock
Other schools in Matlock
South Darley CofE Primary School ranks 12th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Matlock.
- All Saints CofE Infant School Primary
- All Saints CofE Junior School Primary
- Bonsall CofE (A) Primary School Primary
- Brassington Primary School Primary
- Carsington and Hopton Primary School Primary
- Castle View Primary School Primary
- Crich Carr CofE Primary School Primary
- Crich Church of England Infant School Primary
- Crich Junior School Primary
- Cromford Church of England Primary School Primary
- Darley Churchtown Church of England Primary School Primary
- Darley Dale Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does South Darley CofE Primary School teach?
- South Darley CofE Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Matlock.
- Who is the headteacher of South Darley CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of South Darley CofE Primary School is Mr Paul Wilde, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was South Darley CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected South Darley 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 South Darley CofE Primary School?
- South Darley CofE Primary School has 54 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is South Darley CofE Primary School full?
- South Darley CofE Primary School has capacity for 70 pupils and 54 on roll (77%), so it has space against 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 South Darley CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. South Darley CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Derby.
- Does South Darley CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records South Darley CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have South Darley CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% in 2022/23 and 44% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does South Darley CofE Primary School rank locally?
- South Darley CofE Primary School ranked 199th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is South Darley CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- South Darley CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are South Darley CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, South Darley 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.