Primary schools2 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Andrew Hill · CC BY-SA 2.0BSchool Grade
Schools in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley · DfE, Ofsted
Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s state schools: primary results beat 89% of towns in England, secondary results only 32%
Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard: 70% of primary pupils in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley, above both Derbyshire’s towns (60%) and towns in England (62%). 2 state-funded schools are located in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s built-up area. Pilsley and Lower Pilsley grades B for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #18 of 59 in Derbyshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
2
2 primary, 0 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
70%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
43.2
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
40%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
What stands out about Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s schools
Pilsley beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Pilsley Primary School, 35% of pupils are on free school meals and 84% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 59%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Pilsley and Lower Pilsley grades B for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (70% meet the standard)Better than 89% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (43.2 and 40%)Better than 32% of towns in England
The primary figure lifts Pilsley and Lower Pilsley; the secondary figure holds it back.
The primary figure: 2 primaries in the town, 164 pupils in results over three years. Pilsley and Lower Pilsley has no secondaries of its own with GCSE results, so the secondary figure uses the 2 graded secondaries in and within 3 km of the town (394 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 Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s 2 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 Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondarySpecial, 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.
Getting a place
How school places work in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley
Derbyshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley, 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. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
Pilsley incl. nursery103%
Park House95%
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
2 state schools in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley
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 Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s schoolsA 1B 0C 1D 0
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 inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
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. 0 of Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s 2 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.
Towns its size
235th of 671 English towns of 2,500 to 5,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Pilsley and Lower Pilsley, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gnosall Staffordshire | A+ | 83% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 231 | Thornley County Durham | B | 63% | — | — |
| 232 | Prestbury Cheshire | B | 61% | 50.4 | 52% |
| 233 | Lower Nazeing Essex | B | 64% | 47.1 | 47% |
| 234 | Mickletown West Yorkshire | B | 61% | 48.8 | 54% |
| 235 | Pilsley and Lower Pilsley Derbyshire | B | 70% | 43.2 | 40% |
| 236 | Fordingbridge Hampshire | B | 58% | 52.2 | 59% |
| 237 | Stalham Norfolk | B | 81% | 40.5 | 39% |
| 238 | Bramhope West Yorkshire | B | 71% | 43.8 | 38% |
| 239 | Holmfield West Yorkshire | B | 71% | 41.9 | 41% |
| … | |||||
| 671 | Watchet Somerset | D− | 29% | — | — |
Neighbours
Pilsley and Lower Pilsley and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
MortonTibshelfNorth Wingfield and HolmewoodClay CrossOld TuptonNewton and BlackwellShirland and StonebroomPilsley and Lower Pilsley
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilsley and Lower Pilsley 2 schools | B | 70% | 43.2 |
| Morton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 1.6 mi | C+ | 61% | 42.9 |
| Tibshelf 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.7 mi | C+ | 60% | 42.9 |
| North Wingfield and Holmewood 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.7 mi | C | 58% | 43.4 |
| Clay Cross 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.8 mi | C− | 53% | 43.4 |
| Old Tupton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.5 mi | B− | 62% | 45.3 |
| Newton and Blackwell 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.6 mi | B− | 66% | 42.2 |
| Shirland and Stonebroom 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.6 mi | C+ | 62% | 43 |
Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s schools are graded at least as well as any neighbour’s. 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 Pilsley and Lower Pilsley: 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 Pilsley and Lower Pilsley
Are schools in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley good?
Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s state schools earn a B against schools across England: primary results beat 89% of towns in England; secondary results beat 32% 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 primary school in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Pilsley Primary School: 84% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
How do I apply for a school place in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley?
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 Pilsley and Lower Pilsley are full?
1 of 2 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 Pilsley and Lower Pilsley?
2 open state-funded schools are located in Pilsley and Lower Pilsley’s built-up area: 2 primary, 0 secondary and 0 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.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.