Turnditch Church of England Primary School Review 2026: A small village primary with strong KS2 outcomes and a clear values-led culture

Above the porch, the date 1846 signals just how long this little village school has been part of local life. That sense of continuity still matters today, but so does momentum. In the most recent published key stage 2 results, attainment compares well with England averages, and the school’s performance sits above England average overall.

Leadership is structured around an executive headteacher, Mrs Ingrid Taylor, and a head of school, Miss Roxanne Bunn, a model that is common within multi-academy trusts.

The last full Ofsted inspection in January 2020 graded the school Good across all areas.

Small schools live or die by relationships, because there are fewer layers between families, staff, and pupils. Here, the “small enough to know everyone” quality is repeatedly reinforced through how the school describes itself and how it organises pupil roles. External evaluation also points to a warm, community feel, with pupils taking responsibility and feeling included.

The school’s stated vision is Nurturing, Thriving and Learning together, anchored in a simple, memorable FAMILY framework: Friendship, Ambition, Mutual Respect, Inclusion, Lifelong Learners, and You are unique. For parents, this matters because it is not just a poster. The words are designed to be used in everyday routines, in behaviour language, and in how pupils are encouraged to treat one another.

Values are presented as the Turnditch Ten, a set of Christian-rooted virtues (Faith, Love, Curiosity, Thankfulness, Kindness, Respect, Honesty, Resilience, Responsibility, Empathy) that the school cycles through over time. This gives a practical structure to the Church of England character. Families who want a school where faith and values are visible, but also integrated into ordinary school life, will recognise the intent.

A distinctive feature of the school’s ethos work is how it explains spirituality in accessible language. The school uses a “wow, ow, now” framework, tied to reflective practice, still moments in the day, and spaces for thinking or prayer. For many children, this becomes a useful vocabulary for talking about feelings and big questions without it turning into something overly abstract or adult-led.

This review uses FindMySchool rankings and the most recent available key stage 2 measures provided for the school.

On the FindMySchool primary measure, the school is ranked 2,535th in England and 3rd locally (Belper). This places it above England average overall, within the top 25% of primary schools in England (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data).

The headline combined measure, reading, writing and maths at the expected standard, stands at 71.7%. The England average is 62%. That gap is meaningful: it suggests a larger share of pupils are leaving Year 6 with the core suite of skills that secondary schools assume as a baseline.

The higher standard measure is also worth noting. 28% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with an England average of 8%. For parents, this is the clearest signal that the top end is being stretched, not just supported to meet the minimum.

Looking at scaled scores, reading is 109 and maths is 108. Those are comfortably above the national midpoint of 100, indicating strong attainment relative to the national distribution.

Other markers support the same picture. Reading expected standard is 92%, maths expected standard is 92%, and science expected standard is 100%. Taken together, these results point to consistent strength across subjects rather than a single standout area.

For parents comparing nearby primaries, a practical next step is to use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to see how these measures sit against other local options, especially if you are weighing a move within the Belper area.

The school’s curriculum messaging combines traditional academic priorities with deliberate enrichment. A useful example is the school’s focus on early reading and phonics, which has been strengthened through curriculum work and staff training. The most recent published inspection commentary also highlights raised ambition within the curriculum, including the introduction of a new phonics scheme. The implication for families is straightforward: strong reading outcomes rarely happen by accident in a small school, they come from consistent systems and shared staff practice.

Class organisation reflects the realities of a small setting, with mixed-age groupings used to keep cohorts viable and to maintain breadth. The school’s published class structure uses named classes, including Chestnut Class (EYFS, Year 1 and 2), Oak Class (Year 3 and 4), and Willow Class (Year 5 and 6). This model can suit many children well, particularly those who benefit from peer modelling and repeated exposure to routines. It can also be a good fit for children who like being known well by adults over time.

The curriculum offer includes a clear emphasis on outdoor learning. Forest School is not described as an occasional reward. It is built into the weekly routine, with Wednesday afternoon sessions delivered through Sunshine Forest School in Belper, led by a named Forest School practitioner. Activities include shelter building, fire lighting, tool use, studying wildlife, and cooking on an open fire, including using a Kelly Kettle. For many pupils, this becomes a second learning mode that complements classroom work, especially for children who learn best through practical problem-solving and collaboration.

The Church of England character also shapes learning beyond worship, especially through reflection and values language. Spiritual development is described as being supported through the curriculum, mindful moments, and deliberate “wow” moments built into topics, including the use of music and art as cultural touchpoints. The practical impact is that pupils are encouraged to connect learning to meaning, not just content coverage.

As a state primary, transition routes depend heavily on home address and the local authority’s secondary admissions. The school’s own messaging focuses on preparing pupils for the step up, rather than pointing to a single destination. For families, the key implication is that you should treat secondary planning as a parallel project, especially from Year 5 onwards, and check secondary catchments and transport in good time.

Transition support is likely to be personal in a small school, but the detail that is published is centred on readiness, routines, and confidence rather than named feeder patterns. If your child may find the move to secondary school challenging, it is worth asking specifically about extra visits, buddying, and any links with receiving schools, because those practicalities vary year to year in small settings.

Reception entry is coordinated through Derbyshire County Council, rather than directly through the school, with the school welcoming visits by appointment. Demand looks real even at small scale. In the most recent admissions demand snapshot provided, there were 12 applications for 7 offers, a ratio of about 1.71 applications per place, with the school classed as oversubscribed on that measure.

For September 2026 entry (the 2026 to 2027 academic year), Derbyshire’s published timeline states that applications open on 10 November 2025 and close at midnight on 15 January 2026, with offers issued on 16 April 2026. These are the dates that matter for planning, especially if you are moving house or juggling multiple school preferences.

A practical approach is to use the FindMySchool Map Search to understand your likely proximity picture relative to other families applying nearby, then treat that as a guide rather than a promise, since admissions outcomes can shift with each cohort.

Because the school is part of the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, families should also expect admissions arrangements and policies to be published and updated within that trust context.

Small primary schools often have an advantage here, because adults notice changes quickly and pupils are less likely to get lost in a large system. The school also has structured pastoral support in place.

An identifiable example is the ELSA programme, with a named Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (Mrs Barker) and an explanation of what ELSA covers, from social skills to bereavement and self-esteem. For parents, this matters because it signals a planned approach to emotional development, not just a reactive response when a child is struggling.

The school also describes an Early Help offer, including staff roles connected to safeguarding leadership and signposting, and it frames Early Help as early intervention when issues begin to emerge. This is the kind of structure that can be particularly reassuring in a small community setting where families may prefer support that is discreet, practical, and connected to local services when needed.

Behaviour expectations are reinforced through values language and pupil responsibility. The school uses pupil roles such as anti-bullying ambassadors and an ecological council, and it has mechanisms such as a weekly respect raffle, all of which make behaviour culture feel like something pupils participate in rather than something done to them.

In a small school, extracurricular life often looks different from a large multi-form primary. There may be fewer “clubs on paper” but more whole-school participation and a greater chance for pupils to hold responsibility.

Forest School is the clearest example of this. Weekly sessions at Sunshine Forest School are not just outdoor play. Pupils work through practical challenges, learn tool safety, build shelters, explore wildlife, and cook outdoors. The implication is broader than fresh air. Children practise planning, teamwork, and resilience in a context where mistakes are part of learning.

Leadership roles are another strand of wider life. Pupils can volunteer as anti-bullying ambassadors or take part in the ecological council. In a school of this size, these roles tend to feel real, because pupils can see the direct impact of what they are doing, whether that is welcoming younger pupils, shaping how playtimes run, or leading small improvements.

The school’s values curriculum also bleeds into enrichment. The Turnditch Ten and the FAMILY framework give staff a structured way to design assemblies, class discussions, and theme weeks around particular virtues or behaviours. For many pupils, this is where confidence grows, because children get repeated practice at speaking, reflecting, and contributing in a supported setting.

This is a state primary school with no tuition fees.

The compulsory school day runs from 8.55am to 3.20pm, with staff on the playground from 8.45am. For wraparound care, breakfast club runs from 7.30am, and after school club runs Monday to Thursday until 5.30pm.

Transport will be highly family-dependent in a village setting. If you are planning a move, it is sensible to test the school run at peak times and consider winter conditions and parking constraints, as these can be the real day-to-day pressure points for rural primaries.

• Very small cohort sizes. With a published capacity of 83 and a small roll, children who want a very large peer group, or who thrive on lots of parallel friendship options, may find the social pool narrower than at larger primaries. (On the upside, many families actively prefer this.)

• Competition for places can bite even at small scale. The recent demand snapshot indicates more applications than offers. If you are relying on an offer here, treat deadlines and preference order as high priority, and keep at least one realistic alternative on your list.

• Christian character is tangible. Collective worship takes place daily and is described as Christian in nature, while recognising other religions. Families can request withdrawal, but it is best to choose this school because you are broadly comfortable with that framework, rather than hoping it will be invisible.

• Leadership model is trust-based. With an executive headteacher and head of school structure, day-to-day leadership is shared. This can bring consistency and wider support, but families who strongly prefer a single on-site headteacher model should ask how responsibilities are divided in practice.

This is a small, values-driven Church of England primary that pairs a community feel with strong key stage 2 outcomes, including performance above England averages and a notably high higher-standard measure. The Forest School programme, ELSA support, and pupil leadership roles give it a distinctive shape beyond the classroom.

Best suited to families who actively want a small-school experience, who value a clear Christian ethos, and who like the idea of outdoor learning as a regular part of the week. The main challenge is admission planning, because even a small school can be oversubscribed.