Breadsall CofE VC Primary School Review 2026: A small Church of England primary with top 10% outcomes in England

A compact village primary with the feel of a “everyone knows everyone” school, but with results that are far bigger than its size suggests. With a published capacity of 112 pupils, the experience is naturally close-knit, and that matters when you are choosing a school for the early years of learning and confidence building.

Academic outcomes are a headline strength. In 2024, 96% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, well above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 45% reached greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. The school’s performance also sits well above typical levels on scaled scores, with reading at 108, mathematics at 110, and grammar, punctuation and spelling at 109.

This is a Church of England voluntary controlled school, and faith is part of daily rhythm, but the published ethos places equal emphasis on inclusion and serving the whole community. Collective worship is described as daily, and framed as invitational and inclusive for pupils of all faiths and none.

The tone is anchored in clear, explicit values: Hope, Love and Respect, alongside a stated aim of being “a flourishing community built on faith where everyone matters most”. That combination tends to translate into a school culture where kindness is not treated as a soft extra, it is positioned as the baseline for behaviour, relationships, and how pupils are expected to contribute to the life of the school.

As a village school, leadership visibility matters. The published school day description highlights senior staff greeting families at the gate, which is often the practical difference between a school that feels anonymous and one that feels personally accountable to parents.

Facilities and space have had a recent reset. The school’s prospectus notes a move into a new purpose-built building in February 2023, with a large hall, an on-site kitchen, multiple surfaced playground areas, and a dedicated Early Years classroom and outdoor space. It also references ongoing development of the grounds, with the intent to include a multi-use surfaced games court, sports field, outdoor seating and wildlife areas. For families weighing the “small school” question, this is an important nuance, it is small in roll, but not necessarily limited in physical provision.

Leadership is led by Headteacher Mrs Katie Forster, named on both the school’s website and the government Get Information About Schools register.

Results are clearly the central differentiator. In 2024, 96% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with 62% across England. In practical terms, that suggests the overwhelming majority are leaving Year 6 secure in the core tools required for secondary learning.

Depth is also unusually strong. At 45% achieving the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, the school sits far above the England average of 8%. For families with academically confident children, this matters because it signals not only “most pupils keep up”, but “a substantial proportion go beyond the expected curriculum standard by the end of primary”.

Looking at the component signals, the scaled scores are consistently high, with reading at 108, mathematics at 110, and grammar, punctuation and spelling at 109. This matters because scaled scores can indicate strength even when a cohort has few borderline pupils. At Breadsall, it suggests a generally high floor, not just a handful of high achievers pulling up the average.

In ranking terms, the school is Ranked 878th in England and 3rd in Derby for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). That places it well above England average, outperforming around 90% of schools in England (top 10%).

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view these outcomes side by side with other nearby primaries, because in small catchments, tiny cohort shifts can change comparative headlines from year to year.

The published curriculum structure is broad and conventional in coverage, but distinctive in the way it is made visible to families. Curriculum areas are clearly mapped and broken down, with subject strands and examples of topic work across year groups.

Reading and phonics appear to be treated as a daily priority early in the day, supported by the published daily timetable that places reading and phonics at lesson start. That choice usually reflects a deliberate approach: protect the most foundational learning time when pupils are freshest, and ensure consistency rather than leaving reading to occasional slots.

A second clear thread is enrichment embedded into the curriculum rather than bolted on. Music tuition is a good example. The school offers violin, cello and piano tuition delivered by a specialist teacher, and also states that all pupils in Class 3 learn an instrument for a year funded by the school, including instrument loan, with delivery supported by Derbyshire Music Partnership musicians. For families, the implication is access and equity, pupils can participate without the early barrier of sourcing instruments or paying for initial learning.

Finally, the school explicitly frames play as part of learning. The OPAL programme is presented as a structured approach to improving play quality and breadth, with an emphasis on physical activity, social development, cooperation, creativity and resilience. The practical impact is usually felt at lunchtimes: more varied play options, more pupil autonomy, and for many children, a calmer transition back into afternoon learning because play has been purposeful rather than overly restricted.

As a Derbyshire primary close to the Derby boundary, the range of secondary destinations can vary significantly depending on a child’s home address and the local authority used for application. The admissions information published by the school makes this explicit, families apply through Derbyshire County Council or Derby City Council depending on where they live.

For families thinking ahead to Year 7, the most practical step is to check the relevant local authority’s secondary admissions guidance for your home address, and to plan early if transport or sibling logistics matter. When you are shortlisting, it is worth keeping an eye on how a small primary cohort might transition socially into a much larger secondary year group, some pupils love the scale, others benefit from more structured transition support.

Demand is high relative to size. For the Reception entry route reflected in recent demand data, there were 58 applications for 16 offers, which equates to 3.63 applications per place. That is firmly oversubscribed territory, and it means families should treat admission as competitive rather than routine.

Where families sometimes misread this type of school is assuming that “small village school” means easy entry. Here, the opposite can be true, a strong local reputation combined with limited places tends to tighten competition quickly.

The school’s admissions page states that applications are made through Derbyshire County Council or Derby City Council depending on residence, and it also references a religious conviction form for families applying on religious grounds.

For September 2026 entry, Derbyshire’s published timeline states that applications open online on 10 November 2025, the closing date is midnight on 15 January 2026, and offers are issued on 16 April 2026.

Parents should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check practical proximity and local alternatives, especially where a short list includes multiple oversubscribed schools with similar admissions rules.

The school’s stated values focus heavily on dignity, respect and care for others, and that tends to show up in the practical “how do children treat each other” question that matters most to parents of younger pupils.

The school also positions safeguarding leadership clearly in published staffing information, with the headteacher named as safeguarding lead. In a small setting, clarity of roles matters, families often want to know who holds responsibility when concerns arise and how quickly issues are addressed.

The latest Ofsted inspection (2 November 2022) described pupils as feeling safe, with staff acting quickly to resolve problems and bullying not tolerated.

Small schools can be narrow on enrichment if resources are stretched. Breadsall’s published programme suggests the opposite, enrichment is treated as a pillar of school identity.

OPAL is the clearest named initiative. It is described as an approach to widening play opportunities, including greater freedom over how pupils use space and materials, alongside an acceptance that more creative play may mean pupils come home a bit messier. For many families, that is a feature, not a bug, and it often correlates with improved independence and social confidence.

Eco School is another sustained thread rather than a one-off theme week. The school states it began its Eco School journey in September 2015, gained the Silver Eco School Award in September 2016, and achieved Green Flag Eco School status in 2018, with a successful re-application in September 2020. It also references an Eco Club and practical projects such as energy monitoring, litter and waste, and school grounds development. For pupils, the implication is repeated, concrete responsibility rather than abstract “environment” lessons.

Arts are similarly given formal recognition. The school states it has achieved a Gold Artsmark Award, with examples of themed strands such as Wonderful Words and Art in Nature. Awards are not the point in themselves, but they often indicate consistent curriculum time for creative subjects and a willingness to showcase pupil work publicly.

Music is unusually well structured for a small primary. Individual or paired tuition is offered for violin, cello and piano, and the whole-cohort instrument learning in Class 3 is a strong signal of inclusive access. This is the kind of programme that can shift a child’s self-image, especially for pupils who discover they are good at something that is not primarily written work.

The published school day runs from 8.50am to 3.20pm, with gates opening at 8.35am for arrival and supervision. The timetable includes a daily collective worship slot at 10.30am, a morning break, and a one-hour lunch period.

Wraparound care is clearly set out. Breakfast Club operates daily from 7.30am, with breakfast served until 8.15am, and an on-site after-school club runs from 3.20pm to 6.00pm with a menu of booking options. These details matter for working families because they reduce reliance on informal childcare and make logistics more predictable.

Travel planning is explicitly encouraged through the school’s Travel Smart information, promoting walking and cycling and referencing initiatives such as Bikeability and Balance Bikes.

Parking pressure is acknowledged in the school’s prospectus, which notes that local roads can be busy at drop-off and encourages considerate parking and use of nearby car parks.

• Competition for places: With 58 applications for 16 offers in the Reception entry route data, demand materially exceeds supply. Families should plan a realistic shortlist rather than relying on this as a single option.

• Small-cohort dynamics: A capacity around 112 pupils can be a major positive for individual attention and familiarity, but it also means friendship groups are smaller. For some children this feels secure; for others, it can feel limiting if a peer relationship becomes difficult.

• Curriculum consistency: The most recent inspection identified that recall of key knowledge over time was not consistent in every area, with history cited as an example, and also highlighted that some pupils were not always clear about what they had learned about British values. For parents, the right response is not alarm but curiosity, ask how assessment and knowledge retrieval are checked across subjects.

• Faith is visible: Daily collective worship and close links with the parish church are part of the school’s lived identity, including church involvement in weekly worship and activities. Families who want a fully secular setting should weigh this carefully, even though the school explicitly welcomes pupils of all faiths and none.

Breadsall CofE VC Primary School offers the combination that is hardest to find: a genuinely small primary with outcomes that place it comfortably in the top 10% of schools in England. Its strongest fit is for families who value high academic standards in a close-knit setting, and who are comfortable with a Church of England ethos that is both explicit and inclusive. The limiting factor is admission, competition for places is the practical hurdle that shapes the whole decision.