Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School
Reddish Road, Whaley Bridge, High Peak, SK23 7DL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Ms Karen O'Connor
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chester
- Constituency
- High Peak
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 222
- Pupils on roll
- 192
- URN
- 112872
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01663733262
About this school
Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in High Peak. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 192 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Taxal and Fernilee CofE 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. 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 25 May 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 | 33 | 28 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 82% | 79% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 18% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 86% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 91% | 89% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 91% | 86% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
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 Taxal and Fernilee 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 | 76% | 58.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 79% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 216 |
| 2023/24 | 204 |
| 2024/25 | 196 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School compares
Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School ranked 37th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 79% | 4.1% | 14.3% | 192 | — |
| Whaley Bridge Primary School | 31% | 4.4% | 22.6% | 142 | 0.3 miles |
| Buxworth Primary School | 0% | 5.7% | 27.2% | 104 | 1.3 miles |
| Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School | 44% | 6.7% | 19.7% | 66 | 1.4 miles |
| Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School | 71% | 3.6% | 33.3% | 72 | 1.7 miles |
| Combs Infant School | — | 4.1% | 12.5% | 14 | 2.5 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)
- 14.29%
- English as an additional language
- 0.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.13%
- Persistent absence
- 5.14%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Whaley Bridge Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · High Peak
-
Buxworth Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · High Peak
-
Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Kettleshulme. High Peak
-
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School1.7 miles
Primary · High Peak
-
Combs Infant School2.5 miles
Primary · Combs High Peak
Other schools in High Peak
Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School ranks 1st of the 11 ranked primary schools in High Peak.
- Buxworth Primary School Primary
- Chapel-en-le-Frith CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Hague Bar Primary School Primary
- Hayfield Primary School Primary
- New Mills Primary School Primary
- St George's CofE Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy Primary
- Thornsett Primary School (High Peak Federation) Primary
- Whaley Bridge Primary School Primary
- New Mills Nursery School Nursery
- Chapel-en-le-Frith High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School teach?
- Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in High Peak.
- Who is the headteacher of Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School is Ms Karen O'Connor, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Taxal and Fernilee 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 many pupils are at Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School?
- Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School has 192 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School full?
- Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School has capacity for 222 pupils and 192 on roll (86%), 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 Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chester.
- Does Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 79% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Derbyshire?
- Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School ranked 37th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Taxal and Fernilee 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.