Darnhall Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 October 2023

Pupils are proud to attend this school which sits firmly at the heart of its community. Pupils said that they feel safe and happy. They know that they are valued and that everyone is welcome in their school. The school has high expectations of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils work hard and try their best. The atmosphere in school is calm and purposeful. Relationships are respectful. Pupils in key stage 1 and 2 achieve well. However, children in the early years do not learn equally well across all areas of the curriculum. Some children are not as well prepared for their next steps as they should be as a result. Pupils enjoy being with their friends. At breaktimes, they play happily together. Pupils, including children in the early years, are sensible and polite. They know the school rules and keep to them. Pupils develop as well-rounded citizens who contribute to society. For example, pupils attend a forum at the Council Chambers which enables them to actively contribute to the decisions made about their town. In addition, the charity and events team raise money for charities that are close to pupils' hearts. Pupils appreciate the wide range of opportunities that the school offers. They relish being responsible for leading different aspects of school life, such as being a member of the leadership team, the fund-raising committee or a well-being worker.

What the school should improve

• The school has not ensured that some staff in the early years have the expertise to design learning activities that build on what children know and can do already. This means that some children in the early years are not as well prepared for key stage 1 as they should be. The school should ensure that they provide staff with suitable guidance so that they can deliver the curriculum consistently well across the early years.
• In a small number of subjects, the school has not considered carefully enough the most important content that pupils need to learn. This means that some teachers do not have sufficient guidance about what to teach and when to teach it. This hinders pupils from building their knowledge over time. The school should continue to refine its curriculum-thinking in these subjects, so that the most important content that pupils need to know is clearly identified.
• In some subjects, pupils have insufficient opportunities to embed what they have been taught. This means that they find it difficult to recall their earlier learning. The school should ensure that staff are supported to choose the right approaches to help pupils remember the intended curriculum in these subjects.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)