Chesterfield’s state schools: secondary results beat 71% of towns in England, primary results only 39%
Attainment 8, the average across eight GCSEs, is 49.4 at Chesterfield’s secondaries, above both Derbyshire’s towns (44.5) and towns in England (45.9). 32 state-funded schools are located in Chesterfield’s built-up area. Chesterfield grades B for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #20 of 59 in Derbyshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Chesterfield’s secondary results beat 71% of English towns; its primary results beat 39%. 59% of the large town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 59% across Derbyshire. The spread between primaries is wide: 76% at Hady Primary School, 32% at Brampton Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
Popular schools are full
12 of 29 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity, including Brookfield Community, Outwood Academy Newbold and St Mary's among the secondaries. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
Walton Peak Flying High beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Walton Peak Flying High Academy, 47% of pupils are on free school meals and 71% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 55%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Chesterfield grades B for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (59% meet the standard)Better than 39% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (49.4 and 51%)Better than 71% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Chesterfield; the primary figure holds it back.
Each of Chesterfield’s 18 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Chesterfield’s 6 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolDerbyshire’s average school
The primary figure: 18 primaries in the town, 2,356 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 6 secondaries in the town, 971 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Chesterfield’s 32 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Chesterfield’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 6 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 12% at Westfield Infant School to 69% at Cavendish Junior School. Against schools with the same intake, Walton Peak Flying High Academy does best: 71% with 47% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 55%. 12 of 18 primaries and 4 of 6 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Chesterfield
Derbyshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Chesterfield, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 4 of Chesterfield’s 29 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 12 schools are at or over it.
Abercrombie incl. nursery120%
Spire Nursery and Infant incl. nursery120%
Hasland Infant incl. nursery116%
St Mary's111%
Brockwell Nursery and Infant incl. nursery110%
Hasland Junior105%
Brookfield Community104%
Hady incl. nursery104%
Newbold incl. nursery104%
St Mary's103%
Show all 29 schools
Brockwell Junior103%
Outwood Academy Newbold100%
Outwood Academy Hasland Hall98%
Parkside Community98%
Old Hall Junior96%
Christ Church94%
William Rhodes incl. nursery91%
Mary Swanwick incl. nursery91%
Whittington Green85%
Dunston incl. nursery84%
Brampton incl. nursery83%
Westfield Infant83%
Highfield Hall incl. nursery82%
Spire Junior75%
Cavendish Junior72%
New Whittington incl. nursery69%
Holme Hall59%
Whittington Moor Nursery and Infant incl. nursery57%
Walton Peak Flying High incl. nursery39%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
32 state schools in Chesterfield
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Chesterfield’s schoolsA6B8C4D68 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 1Good 12Report card 4Ungraded inspection only 15
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 4 of Chesterfield’s 32 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Learners' TrustOld Hall Junior, Mary Swanwick, New Whittington, Ashgate Croft, Westfield Infant, Holme Hall
6
1,159
BB+C−C
Outwood Grange Academies TrustOutwood Academy Newbold, Outwood Academy Hasland Hall
2
1,877
B+B+
Embark Multi Academy TrustParkside Community, William Rhodes
2
779
D−D−
Derby Diocesan Academy TrustNewbold, Christ Church
2
416
B+B
Minerva Learning TrustDunston, Whittington Moor Nursery and Infant
2
295
D−
St Mary's Catholic High School Academy TrustSt Mary's
1
1,400
A
Redhill Academy TrustBrookfield Community
1
1,156
A−
Chorus Education TrustHady
1
328
A
Esteem Multi-Academy TrustEsteem North
1
229
—
Flying High TrustWalton Peak Flying High
1
135
A−
Derbyshire County CouncilWhittington Green, St Mary's, Hasland Junior, Highfield Hall, Hasland Infant, Brampton, Abercrombie, Brockwell Junior, Brockwell Nursery and Infant, Spire Nursery and Infant, Spire Junior, Cavendish Junior, Holly House Special
13
3,626
C−BB+DD−A−A−DC−
After 16
Where Chesterfield’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
3 of Chesterfield’s 6 state secondaries have sixth forms: Brookfield Community, Outwood Academy Newbold and St Mary's. Chesterfield College, a further-education college, is in the large town.
Secondaries with a sixth form
3 of 6
state schools in Chesterfield
Colleges within 12 miles
2
nearest: Chesterfield College
Grammar schools in Derbyshire
0
no selective state secondaries
College
Distance
Chesterfield CollegeFurther-education college · S41 7NG
Special schools and alternative provision in Chesterfield
Chesterfield has 2 special schools (Ashgate Croft and Holly House Special: 203 pupils) and 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Derbyshire County Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Derbyshire County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
31st of 90 English towns and cities of 53,000 to 103,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Chesterfield, and the top and bottom of the group.
Old Tupton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4 mi
B−
62%
45.3
Duckmanton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.1 mi
C−
58%
40.4
Brimington has the best-graded schools nearby (A−). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Chesterfield: 8% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Chesterfield
Are schools in Chesterfield good?
Chesterfield’s state schools earn a B against schools across England: primary results beat 39% of towns in England; secondary results beat 71% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Derbyshire council.
What is the best secondary school in Chesterfield?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy: Attainment 8 of 60.3 and 66% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Chesterfield?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Hady Primary School: 76% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Chesterfield secondary schools have sixth forms?
3 of 6 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Chesterfield?
Through Derbyshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Chesterfield are full?
12 of 29 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Chesterfield?
32 open state-funded schools are located in Chesterfield’s built-up area: 23 primary, 6 secondary and 3 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
