Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School

High Peak · SK23 7DL

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 192 pupils, 16.8% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 24% on SEN support Behaviour 4.1% absence rate Staff 11.2% turnover Financials £6,774 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School

General Information

Address: Reddish Road, Whaley Bridge, High Peak, SK23 7DL – View on map
Phone: 01663733262
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Ms Karen O'Connor
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 15 families put it first for 15 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

192 pupils out of 222 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 32
% eligible for free school meals: 16.8%
Pupil mix: 1 in 10 (less mixed than the High Peak average)
English as an additional language: 1% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 11.2% a year (High Peak 12.2%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 67% moved to another school, 33% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Derbyshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 17 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
Suspensions for bullying: 23 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 7 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Derbyshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 5.1%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 24.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 20 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 12 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils
Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 79% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 9% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 26 percentage points above the High Peak average (54%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 79% against an expected 64%)
3-year average (expected standard): 79%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 88% · Writing 94% · Maths 88% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 76%
Average test scores: reading 108, maths 105
Based on: 33 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolHigh Peak averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 26 percentage points above the High Peak average (54%).

Year 6 SATs: 1st of 29 junior and primary schools in the area

#1Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School79%
=2Chinley Primary School76%
=2St Charles' Catholic Voluntary Academy76%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School79%
=2Chinley Primary School76%
=2St Charles' Catholic Voluntary Academy76%
#4Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School71%
#5St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy70%
#6All Saints' Catholic Voluntary Academy69%
#7Gamesley Primary School67%
=8St George's CofE Primary School63%
=8Tintwistle CofE (Aided) Primary School63%
#10Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation)60%
=11New Mills Primary School59%
=11St Andrew's CofE Junior School59%
#13Whitfield St James' CofE (VC) Primary School58%
#14St Luke's CofE Primary School57%
=15Hayfield Primary School56%
=15Padfield Community Primary School56%
=17St Anne's Catholic Voluntary Academy53%
=17St Peter's Church of England (VC) Junior School53%
#19Charlesworth Voluntary Controlled Primary School47%
#20Duke of Norfolk CofE Primary School44%
#21Hague Bar Primary School40%
#22Thornsett Primary School (High Peak Federation)38%
#23Dinting Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School36%
#24Chapel-en-le-Frith CofE VC Primary School34%
=25Hope Primary School33%
=25St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy33%
#27Whaley Bridge Primary School31%
#28Peak Dale Primary School21%
#29Buxworth Primary School0%

View full Ofsted inspection report

25th of 29 primary schools in High Peak for Ofsted rating

#23St Mary's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#24St Mary's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#25Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary SchoolGood
#26Thornsett Primary School (High Peak Federation)Good
#27Tintwistle CofE (Aided) Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1All Saints' Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#2Bamford Primary SchoolGood
#3Burbage Primary SchoolGood
#4Buxworth Primary SchoolGood
#5Castleton CofE Primary SchoolGood
#6Chapel-en-le-Frith CofE VC Primary SchoolGood
#7Charlesworth Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolGood
#8Chinley Primary SchoolGood
#9Dinting Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolGood
#10Dove Holes CofE Primary SchoolGood
#11Duke of Norfolk CofE Primary SchoolGood
#12Edale CofE Primary SchoolGood
#13Gamesley Primary SchoolGood
#14Hague Bar Primary SchoolGood
#15Hayfield Primary SchoolGood
#16Hope Primary SchoolGood
#17New Mills Primary SchoolGood
#18Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation)Good
#19Peak Forest Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolGood
#20St Anne's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#21St Charles' Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#22St Margaret's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#23St Mary's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#24St Mary's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#25Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary SchoolGood
#26Thornsett Primary School (High Peak Federation)Good
#27Tintwistle CofE (Aided) Primary SchoolGood
#28Whaley Bridge Primary SchoolGood
#29Whitfield St James' CofE (VC) Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,774 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

27th of 33 primary schools in High Peak for spending per pupil

#25Whitfield St James' CofE (VC) Primary School£6,871
#26New Mills Primary School£6,861
#27Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School£6,774
#28Duke of Norfolk CofE Primary School£6,665
#29St Luke's CofE Primary School£6,597

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Castleton CofE Primary School£22,817
#2Edale CofE Primary School£15,687
#3Peak Forest Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£12,535
#4St Margaret's Catholic Voluntary Academy£12,100
#5Bamford Primary School£11,629
#6Hague Bar Primary School£10,830
#7Dove Holes CofE Primary School£10,483
#8All Saints' Catholic Voluntary Academy£9,343
#9Gamesley Primary School£9,198
#10Whaley Bridge Primary School£8,967
#11Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School£8,770
#12Thornsett Primary School (High Peak Federation)£8,723
#13Tintwistle CofE (Aided) Primary School£8,677
#14Padfield Community Primary School£8,603
#15Peak Dale Primary School£8,591
#16St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy£8,377
#17Hope Primary School£8,257
#18St George's CofE Primary School£8,168
#19Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation)£7,919
#20Buxworth Primary School£7,743
#21Charlesworth Voluntary Controlled Primary School£7,590
#22Dinting Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£7,337
#23St Charles' Catholic Voluntary Academy£7,054
#24Chapel-en-le-Frith CofE VC Primary School£7,032
#25Whitfield St James' CofE (VC) Primary School£6,871
#26New Mills Primary School£6,861
#27Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School£6,774
#28Duke of Norfolk CofE Primary School£6,665
#29St Luke's CofE Primary School£6,597
#30Hayfield Primary School£6,553
#31St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy£6,517
#32Chinley Primary School£6,504
#33St Anne's Catholic Voluntary Academy£6,289

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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