Photo: Warofdreams · CC BY 2.5State schools in Rowsley
In reading, writing and maths together, 64% of Rowsley’s eleven-year-olds met the expected standard, above both Derbyshire’s towns (60%) and towns in England (62%). No state-funded school is located inside Rowsley’s built-up area. Rowsley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; its schools are listed below.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
How school places work in Rowsley
Derbyshire County Council handles school applications for families in Rowsley. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
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
0 state schools in Rowsley
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.
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.
Rowsley and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowsley 0 schools | — | 64% | — |
| Darley Dale 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.9 mi | A− | 68% | 49.6 |
| Bakewell 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3 mi | A | 65% | 53 |
| Baslow 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.9 mi | A+ | 74% | — |
| Matlock 6 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.4 mi | B+ | 64% | 49.6 |
| Calver 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 5.2 mi | A− | 67% | — |
| Holymoorside 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 5.3 mi | B+ | 61% | 52 |
| Tansley 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 5.5 mi | B | 61% | 49.6 |
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.
- 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 Rowsley
Are schools in Rowsley good?
We don’t grade England’s schools yet: Department for Education results and Ofsted report cards are being added. School places are handled by Derbyshire council.
How do I apply for a school place in Rowsley?
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 state schools are in Rowsley?
0 open state-funded schools are located in Rowsley’s built-up area: 0 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.