good primary schools in Chesterfield?

[edamsavestheday]

Hi, my sister's moving for a new job and will be heading to Chesterfield. She needs to know about schools - her dd has just turned nine, so needs primary. Are there any particularly good schools or anywhere she should avoid, within an eight or nine mile radius of Chesterfield, including Tanley and Cresswell? Does anyone know about admissions (it may well be a couple of months before she starts the new job)?

Thanks!

Hi
I live in Chesterfield, quite close to the town centre. It's a big town with quite a few primary schools so does she have any idea where she is going to be living?

Do you mean Tansley? Neiter Tansley or Cresswell are in Chesterfield so she could be driving a fair distance.

Personally I'd avoid creswell

Hi thanks for replies. It was my Mum who said 'Tanley', and she lives near Dronfield - must have been a typo.

Churmey, she could live anywhere, but I think her work is going to be on Ashgate Road, which I think is on the west side of town?

Hi
Ashgate is considered to by fairly affluent area and has some good schools nearby:

Old Hall
Walton Holymoorside
Brockwell

But there are other lovely school no too far away too! My DD goes to Abercrombie School which is near the town centre.

Abi

Thanks Abi, that's very helpful. My sister's really looking forward to moving back to Chesterfield - she moved away when my niece was a baby so has no idea about local schools and so on, so will be grateful for the info.

Hi

Ashgate is a good area although I don't know much about schools that end of town as I live to the South West.

Ashover, Holymoorside, Hunloke Park, Hady, Deer Park (I hated the ethos but neighbours are very happy with it), Westfield, are names which spring to mind as where my and mates kids go happily. All bar Westfield have good before and after school provision. Generally the West/South West is the side of town to be (apart from Dronfield which is to the North and also quite nice and Hasland which is technically south east)

Slightly further out, Tansley is a nice village (but ashover is nicer IMHO) as is Baslow. Matlock also lovely, friend's kids go to the deeply unfashionable Castle View Primary in Matlock which has a rough catchment but is great at supporting children to achieve their potential. Stretton Handley is well spoken of among parents but is a very small school with no after care/breakfast club

Thanks Sleepless, funny you say Dronfield is 'quite nice', that's where my mother lives.

I like Dronfield in many ways but it is Europe's biggest private housing development and I find that apart from the gorgeous old original village bit the rest is a suburban sprawl which could be anywhere and which doesn't take advantage of the loveliness of Derbyshire but perhaps that's unfair. I'm conscious that the people of Dronfield see themselves a infinitely superior to the people of both Chesterfield and Sheffield which doesn't help . The chocolate tiffin at the Forge Cafe, Cliffe Park and the lovely Shoe Loft kids shoe shop are big high lights of Dronfield however

I think you definitely need to visit schools. And don't write off the ones that appear to be in less desirable areas. Walton Holymoorside and Brockwell are probably the best schools Ofsted wise and generally the view of many people in Chesterfield. But that makes them very popular and therefore full! I have heard that Hady is a very good school but is generally under subscribed which has the added benefit of smaller classes. I also heard good things about Wigley School which is apparentley a feeder school for Lady Manners. Your sister may want to consider senior schools if her daughter is 9. This would maybe impact on where she decides to live. I love living in Chesterfield! Oh and I think Westfield is just infants. I believe most children then move to Old Hall Junior.

Thanks Churmy and Sleepless. What secondary schools would you recommend?

Sleepless, seriously, Dronfield's the largest private housing development? But it's tiny - small town is too generous a statement for it! My Mum lives on the edge of the old bit, FWIW, so I may have missed acres of estate housing elsewhere in the town.

secondary wise the places people seem to go wild about are Brookfield (West of Town on Chatsworth Road) and Lady Manners (Bakewell). Highfields in Matlock has a pretty good reputation as well. Tupton Hall seems to get mixed reviews - my sense is that it serves bright kids who get into the top streams from Y7 very well indeed but it has a very mixed intake and the lower end of achievement is pretty dire

Brookfield appears to be the best school on paper. And people definitely move house to get their kids in there. But things can change quite quickly. The senior school in Newbold is just about to become an academy so who knows...that may be the place to be in a couple of years. I've heard good things about Henry Fanshaw in Dronfield too.

thanks all v useful food for thought.

My niece has Tourette's (it's about tics, involuntary repetitive movements rather than swearing) do you have any feel for which schools are supportive of kids who are a bit different?