Hadfield Infant School Review 2026, a small-school feel with strong early reading routines

. The most useful way to gauge academic effectiveness here is to look at early reading, language, and the internal end of Key Stage 1 measures the school publishes, alongside the formal inspection evidence about curriculum quality.

From the school’s published figures for 2022, outcomes at the expected standard were:

• Reading: 52% (national figure shown as 49%)

• Writing: 47% (national figure shown as 50%)

• Maths: 59% (national figure shown as 53%)

For greater depth at the expected standard in 2022:

• Reading: 24% (national figure shown as 18%)

• Writing: 9% (national figure shown as 8%)

• Maths: 20% (national figure shown as 15%)

Early foundations look broadly solid in that snapshot, particularly in maths and the higher-standard proportions, which are often a better indicator of stretch and subject confidence in an infant setting than “expected standard” alone.

The same school-published page also sets out early phonics screening figures for 2022:

• Year 1 phonics screening: 75% nationally, 83% for Derbyshire, 69% for the school (with a separate pupil premium figure shown)

• Year 2 phonics re-check combined outcomes: 87% nationally, 91% for Derbyshire, 79% for the school (with a separate pupil premium figure shown)

Those phonics numbers are best read alongside the inspection evidence about how reading is taught. The inspection report describes a consistent phonics programme, books matched to the sounds pupils are learning, and additional help for pupils who struggle to catch up. The implication for parents is straightforward: if your priority is systematic early reading teaching rather than a looser “whole language” approach, the documented structure here should be reassuring.

Parents comparing several local schools should use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tool to line up early-years and Key Stage 1 context side by side, because infant schools can look similar on the surface but differ significantly in early reading routines and inclusion processes.

The strongest “signature” element is early reading and how it is made visible to children. Beyond the phonics programme itself, the school uses reinforcing structures that are easy for pupils to understand and buy into: “Secret Readers” visiting to share books, a “reading cottage” where pupils listen to stories at playtime, and “Team Read” for pupils who promote reading, complete with badges.

In Reception, the school describes a balance of weekly themes and child-led exploration, including Drawing Club to develop imagination and literacy. Phonics is described as being delivered through Little Wandle, and early maths through White Rose Maths. The same curriculum overview references Dough Disco and MyHappymind, plus calm corners to support self-regulation.

The implication is that teaching is designed around routines and repeated experiences, which is exactly what most pupils need at 5 to 7. When those routines are well-chosen, they reduce cognitive load and free children to concentrate on learning rather than guessing what happens next.

There is also a clear outdoor learning spine. The Forest Schools programme is described as a bespoke curriculum built with Longdendale Environmental Centre, using the local setting as a recurring learning space. The school describes working with an experienced National Park Ranger and qualified teacher, and it notes recognition as a Peak District Ambassador School. This is not “occasional nature walks”; it is positioned as a planned sequence of visits that build skills and knowledge over time.

As an infant school, the main transition is into Year 3 at a junior school. The school’s own communications reference collaboration with its feeder junior school, St Andrew’s.

In Derbyshire, families typically need to make a separate application for a junior school place when children are in their last year of infant school, and the local authority sets the coordinated timeline.

What to ask about, if transition matters to you:

• How Year 2 teachers share reading and SEND information with the junior school

• Whether there are joint events with St Andrew’s (for example, shared term dates or transition activities)

• How the school supports children who find change difficult, which is common at this age

Demand is real. For the most recent admissions cycle provided, there were 78 applications and 47 offers for the main entry route, which equates to about 1.66 applications per offer. The school is recorded as oversubscribed. (Figures refer to the Reception entry route rather than the overall school phase.)

For September 2026 entry, the school directs families to apply via Derbyshire County Council, with online applications opening at 9:00am on 10 November 2025 and the closing date on 15 January 2026. Offers for Derbyshire primary places are issued on 16 April 2026.

If you are shortlisting based on distance, use FindMySchool Map Search to check your exact home-to-school distance against recent offer patterns. Even when distance cut-offs are not published for a given year, precise mapping helps families plan realistically.

The safeguarding position is clear, and it is worth stating plainly because it is often a deciding factor for parents: the inspection report confirms that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Beyond safeguarding, the school presents wellbeing as a taught and practised part of daily routines, not a bolt-on. The Reception curriculum overview references structured approaches to physical development (Dough Disco) and self-regulation (calm corners), and the wider personal development narrative talks about teaching respect, tolerance, and inclusion through assemblies and curriculum content.

A more practical pastoral indicator is wraparound policy clarity. The published wraparound policy sets a cap of 30 pupils with two staff on duty, notes DBS checking, and references first aid and food hygiene certification among staff. While parents will still want to ask how staff manage allergies, handovers, and behaviour in extended day settings, the documented framework is a good baseline.

In an infant school, extracurricular life needs to be age-appropriate and logistics-friendly, and it often blends into enrichment rather than feeling like a “secondary school clubs programme”. Here, enrichment is framed through visitors, local events, outdoor learning, and wraparound activities.

The inspection evidence points to a broad set of experiences beyond the curriculum, including visits from the ambulance service and local doctors, gardening, and participation in local community events. For pupils, that kind of enrichment makes vocabulary and “knowledge of the world” concrete, and it supports speaking and listening, which in turn helps reading and writing.

For more traditional clubs, the inspection report explicitly mentions football and basketball as examples of the clubs available. These matter less as “sport outcomes” and more as confidence-builders, particularly for children who learn best through movement and shared play.

Two named internal programmes are also worth knowing about because they are part of daily life for many families:

• Early Birds, breakfast and pre-school-day care

• Stay & Play, after-school care provision

If you are weighing wraparound as a key requirement, ask how often activities rotate within Early Birds and Stay & Play, and whether outdoor play is built in year-round.

The published school day timings are specific:

• School starts at 8:55am, with registration 8:55am to 9:00am

• School finishes at 3:25pm

• Wraparound starts at 7:30am and closes at 6:00pm

• There is an “Early Morning phonics” session at 8:30am by invitation only

The school office hours are listed as 8:15am to 4:30pm.

Transport-wise, the school is in Hadfield, Glossop, and most families will treat it as a walkable local option where possible. The key practical step is to check your real-world route time at drop-off, because infant arrangements can mean tighter handover windows than juniors.

• Curriculum sequencing is still being refined. The inspection report notes that in some subjects the sequencing does not yet help pupils build knowledge over time as well as it should. For parents, the right question is which subjects are being reworked first, and how progress is checked beyond phonics and maths.

• Attendance is a stated priority. The inspection report flags that a small number of pupils do not attend as well as they should, and that this affects learning. If your child has health needs or anxiety around school, ask what early support looks like and how the school works with families on routines.

• Competition for places exists. With 78 applications and 47 offers in the latest admissions results for the main entry route, not every applicant receives an offer. Families should plan based on local authority criteria and have realistic back-up preferences.

• Leadership is recent. The headteacher is clearly identified, and local reporting suggests the appointment was recent at the point of the 2023 inspection. That can be a positive for momentum, but families who value continuity may want to understand the wider leadership capacity and governance oversight.

Hadfield Infant School looks strongest for families who want structured early reading, a well-signposted start and end to the day, and outdoor learning that is planned rather than occasional. The wraparound window, Forest Schools links, and documented reading culture markers make the offer easy to understand, which is often half the battle in the infant years.

Who it suits: local families seeking a calm, routines-led start to school, with strong phonics and practical wraparound support. The main challenge is admissions competition, and the most important due diligence is to check how the curriculum improvements are progressing beyond the core early reading and maths priorities.