Holbrook Church of England Primary School Review 2026: Small Village Primary with Top 10% Results in England

A smaller-than-average primary with a distinctly local feel, Holbrook Church of England Primary School sits at the heart of village life in Holbrook, near Belper, and works hard to keep ambition and warmth in balance. With a published capacity of 140 and around 136 pupils on roll, it remains small enough for staff to know families well, while still offering leadership roles, clubs, and structured enrichment.

The school’s Christian vision is explicit and practical. It is framed around “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10), and expressed through values pupils are expected to use daily, including being kind, reflective, empathetic, courageous, resilient, and respectful.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (29 and 30 April 2025) graded Behaviour and attitudes and Personal development as Outstanding, with Good for Quality of education, Leadership and management, and Early years provision.

Holbrook’s tone is shaped by two things, scale and clarity. The scale is obvious in day-to-day routines, a small roll means assemblies, worship, and celebration moments have a whole-school feel, not a year-group silo. That can suit pupils who like familiarity and steady expectations. It also means children often meet older pupils through shared responsibilities, not just through playtime. The inspection describes pupils taking on roles such as school councillors, librarians, worship leaders and play leaders, alongside named “task forces”.

Clarity comes from the way the school links faith, values, and behaviour. The published values list is short and concrete, and collective worship is used as structured time for reflection, bible stories, music, art, and a half-termly value focus. For families who want a Church of England school where worship is visible but also tied to everyday conduct, that approach tends to feel coherent rather than symbolic.

There is also a strong “village plus wider world” thread. Pupils are encouraged to engage locally, including community links such as contact with a local care home, and the curriculum includes deliberate exposure to other faiths and places of worship over time. The implication is that children can feel rooted locally while still being prepared to join larger, more diverse secondary schools with confidence.

Leadership is also a visible part of the school’s identity. The headteacher is Mrs Ingrid Taylor, and the school sits within Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, which provides governance and oversight.

Holbrook’s headline story is academic performance that sits well above England averages for primary outcomes. In 2024, 95% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 41.67% achieved greater depth across reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. These are standout figures for a small village primary, and they suggest both secure basics and a meaningful proportion working beyond age-related expectations.

Reading and mathematics scaled scores are also strong. The 2024 average scaled score was 111 in reading and 108 in mathematics, with an average of 110 in grammar, punctuation and spelling. In practical terms, that usually reflects pupils who are not just keeping up, but developing fluency, accuracy, and confidence with more demanding material.

Several subject-level measures in 2024 are particularly striking. The school recorded 100% at the expected standard in reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar, and science; 95% at the expected standard in mathematics and in the combined reading, writing and mathematics measure; and 97% meeting the combined expected standard across the wider suite (reading, writing, mathematics, grammar, punctuation and spelling, and science). While small cohort sizes can magnify year-to-year movement, the pattern here is consistently high attainment across core measures.

Rankings, using FindMySchool’s proprietary analysis based on official data, place the school 549th in England for primary outcomes, and 1st in the local area (Belper). In plain English, that performance level is well above the England average, placing it within the top 10% of primary schools in England.

What this means for parents is two-fold. First, children who need strong foundations in literacy and numeracy are likely to be well served by the school’s emphasis on core knowledge and routine. Second, pupils with higher starting points are not held back, there is evidence of stretch and depth, not only “expected standard” compliance.

A useful way to understand teaching at Holbrook is to look at the routines that sit behind the results. The school’s writing approach is described as structured, with consistent opportunities to plan, draft, and refine, linked to high-quality texts. That matters because it reduces variability across classes and helps pupils build transferable habits, particularly around editing and technical accuracy.

Reading is treated as a daily practice rather than an occasional lesson. The school describes reading happening every day, combining whole-class and group sessions, with more individual reading when pupils are younger. The practical implication is that early readers who need repetition and confidence-building can get frequent touchpoints, while stronger readers are still pushed through text choice and progression expectations.

The curriculum also puts real weight on oracy, not as a slogan, but through concrete scaffolds. For example, subject pages describe prompt mats such as “Speak like a Historian” to structure discussion, vocabulary use, and explanation. When this is done well, it helps pupils who have ideas but struggle to express them in full sentences, and it also stretches confident speakers to justify and debate rather than simply answer.

A notable feature is how the Christian vision is threaded through subject intent statements. Geography and computing pages explicitly link learning to the “life in all its fullness” framing, and computing is positioned around pupils becoming creators rather than passive consumers. For families concerned about online behaviour and digital maturity, that emphasis suggests a school thinking about technology as character education as well as skill acquisition.

The latest inspection also indicates that behaviour supports learning time. Learning is described as seldom disrupted, and pupils are presented as ready to contribute, which usually allows teachers to maintain pace and depth. The key improvement point is curriculum delivery in some subjects, where too much information at once can limit what pupils remember and apply over time. That is worth taking seriously, not because outcomes are weak, but because the school is being asked to tighten sequencing and focus so that strong intent turns into equally strong retention and work quality across all subjects, not only the ones inspected in depth.

As a state primary, Holbrook does not publish a formal list of destination secondaries on its website. In practical terms, most pupils typically move on to local Derbyshire secondary schools within reasonable travelling distance of Holbrook and Belper, with destinations shaped by family preference, transport, and the local authority process.

What the school does appear to prioritise is readiness for transition rather than “teaching to the next test”. A strong personal development judgement, pupil leadership roles, and consistent routines around reading, writing and oracy all support the kind of independence pupils need when they move into larger settings with multiple teachers and more complex timetables.

For parents who want more certainty, the most useful approach is to ask the school which secondaries are the most common destinations in recent years, and whether any structured transition work is done with particular local schools (for example, shared visits, staff liaison, or joint activities). That is also a sensible question to raise at an open morning, because peer group continuity can matter as much as the formal school choice.

Reception admissions are coordinated through Derbyshire County Council rather than handled solely by the school. For September 2026 entry, the published Derbyshire application window opened on 10 November 2025, with the deadline at midnight on 15 January 2026, and offers released on 16 April 2026. If families apply after the deadline, the application is treated as late.

Demand indicators suggest competition for places. In the most recent data provided for Reception entry, there were 46 applications and 20 offers, with the route recorded as oversubscribed and around 2.3 applications per place. That does not automatically mean that every year will be the same, cohort sizes and local demographics can shift, but it does suggest that families should treat Holbrook as a school where planning ahead is sensible.

The school also published open mornings for September 2026 starters in early October 2025. As those dates are now in the past, the safest assumption is that open events typically run in October for the following September intake, and families should check the school’s current calendar for the next set of tours.

Parents comparing options can use the FindMySchool Map Search to sense-check location factors and shortlist realistic alternatives nearby before allocations are made.

Pastoral support at Holbrook is built around both universal routines and targeted help. The universal piece is values-led behaviour and consistent expectations, supported by pupil leadership roles that give children a practical stake in how the school runs.

The targeted piece is more distinctive. The school has a dedicated “Nurture Nest”, described as a calm space for small-group work supporting wellbeing. Sessions can focus on areas such as self-esteem, resilience, emotional regulation, and anxiety, led by a trained Nurture Lead. For pupils who need help managing worry, friendships, or focus, this kind of structured, adult-led provision can be the difference between coping and thriving.

There is also a clear mental health touchpoint for pupils. The school describes a weekly Friday lunchtime Wellbeing Clinic hosted by its Mental Health First Aider, giving children a regular, low-barrier way to ask for help.

Ofsted recorded that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular life is strongest when it connects to a school’s core priorities. At Holbrook, that connection is obvious in three areas.

First, outdoor learning is not an occasional treat. The school runs “Wild School” on its grounds, using the Holbrook Hideaway wildlife and garden areas beside the field. Activities described include shelter building, mini-beast hunting, habitat creation, knot work and lashings, natural art, tool use for making items, and outdoor cooking. The educational value here is clear, pupils develop practical problem solving, teamwork, and confidence in a setting where learning looks different to a classroom worksheet.

Second, clubs are positioned as a normal part of school life rather than a bolt-on. A published example list of clubs includes Cricket, Rounders, Gardening, Gymnastics, Clay creators, Recorders, Spanish, and Homework Club. Club offers change over time, but the important point for parents is that the school is explicit about having both sport and creative options, and about encouraging high participation.

Third, music is treated as a weekly discipline, not only a performance season. The school describes dedicated music lessons, weekly singing, and opportunities such as choir led by a professional voice coach, alongside instrumental learning options. For pupils who respond well to routine practice and incremental improvement, this kind of provision supports both confidence and concentration.

Pupil leadership also extends beyond clubs. The inspection references pupil “task forces”, including an eco-task force that promotes recycling, plus community-facing activities such as contact with a local care home. That matters because it gives pupils purposeful roles that build communication and responsibility, which often translates into calmer behaviour and stronger peer culture.

The published school day includes registration at 8:45am and the end of the school day at 3.15pm, with a stated weekly length of 32.5 hours.

Wraparound care is available Monday to Thursday. Breakfast provision starts at 7.30am, and after-school care runs until 5.30pm; both are paid services with published session charges.

For travel, most families will approach via village roads off the Belper area. Parking and congestion can be an issue for small village schools at drop-off and pick-up, so it is worth asking how the school manages arrival routines and whether any walking routes are encouraged for nearby households.

• Competition for places. Reception demand data indicates oversubscription, with 46 applications and 20 offers in the latest provided dataset. Families should treat planning, timing, and realistic preferences as important parts of the process.

• Inspection improvement focus. The 2025 inspection highlights a need to tighten how curriculum content is taught in some subjects, so pupils focus on the key knowledge they need to learn and remember. Ask leaders what changes have been made since April 2025, and how they are checking impact across subjects.

• Faith is integral, not decorative. Collective worship, value cycles, and a Christian vision frame daily life. Families who prefer a school with a lighter touch on worship should explore whether this approach matches their expectations.

• Wraparound availability has structure. Breakfast and after-school provision is offered on set days and requires booking. This can suit families who plan ahead, but it is worth confirming availability if you need flexible, last-minute childcare.

Holbrook Church of England Primary School combines a small-school feel with outcomes that compare strongly across England. The academic picture is persuasive, particularly in 2024, and the wider offer, including Wild School, pupil leadership roles, and values-led collective worship, gives children a clear framework for both learning and behaviour.

Best suited to families who want a village primary with a clear Church of England identity, strong attainment, and structured pastoral support, and who are comfortable planning early for admissions in an oversubscribed context.