Denby Free CofE VA Primary School
Church Street, Denby Village, Ripley, DE5 8PH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jen Clarke
- Diocese
- Diocese of Derby
- Constituency
- Amber Valley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 113
- URN
- 112881
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01332880416
About this school
Denby Free CofE VA Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Ripley. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 113 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Denby Free CofE VA 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
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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 20 | 13 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 45% | 62% | 80% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 31% | 15% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 85% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 85% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 55% | 77% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.70 | - | - |
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 Denby Free CofE VA 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 | 45% | 58.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 62% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 80% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 123 |
| 2023/24 | 127 |
| 2024/25 | 115 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Denby Free CofE VA Primary School compares
Denby Free CofE VA Primary School ranked 28th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80% | 4.6% | 9.6% | 113 | — |
| Horsley Woodhouse Primary School | 50% | 4.6% | 12% | 95 | 1.0 miles |
| Kilburn Infant and Nursery School | — | 4.9% | 24.3% | 125 | 1.2 miles |
| Kilburn Junior School | 62% | 3.2% | 31.2% | 150 | 1.2 miles |
| Richardson Endowed Primary School | 50% | 4.1% | 16% | 184 | 1.3 miles |
| Street Lane Primary School | 77% | 4.9% | 25% | 93 | 1.4 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)
- 9.57%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.56%
- Persistent absence
- 5.77%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Horsley Woodhouse Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Ilkeston
-
Kilburn Infant and Nursery School1.2 miles
Primary · Derby
-
Kilburn Junior School1.2 miles
Primary · Belper
-
Richardson Endowed Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Ilkeston
-
Street Lane Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Ripley
Other schools in Ripley
Denby Free CofE VA Primary School ranks 1st of the 5 ranked primary schools in Ripley.
- Codnor Community Primary School Church of England Controlled Primary
- Lons Infant School Primary
- Ripley Infant School Primary
- Ripley Junior School Primary
- Ripley St John's Church of England Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Street Lane Primary School Primary
- Waingroves Primary School Primary
- Ripley Nursery School Nursery
- John Flamsteed Community School Secondary
- The Ripley Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Denby Free CofE VA Primary School teach?
- Denby Free CofE VA Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ripley.
- Who is the headteacher of Denby Free CofE VA Primary School?
- The headteacher of Denby Free CofE VA Primary School is Mrs Jen Clarke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Denby Free CofE VA Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Denby Free CofE VA 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 Denby Free CofE VA Primary School?
- Denby Free CofE VA Primary School has 113 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Denby Free CofE VA Primary School full?
- Denby Free CofE VA Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 113 on roll (81%), 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 Denby Free CofE VA Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Denby Free CofE VA Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Derby.
- Does Denby Free CofE VA Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Denby Free CofE VA Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Denby Free CofE VA Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 45% in 2022/23 and 80% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Denby Free CofE VA Primary School compare with other schools in Derbyshire?
- Denby Free CofE VA Primary School ranked 28th of 246 primary schools in Derbyshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Denby Free CofE VA Primary School's absence rate?
- Denby Free CofE VA Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Denby Free CofE VA Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Denby Free CofE VA 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.