Delves Lane Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 June 2026

Pupils arrive cheerfully to school. They are welcomed by staff and each other. Routines are embedded across the year groups, creating a calm start to the day. Pupils engage in a variety of morning learning tasks that embed key knowledge. Right from the earliest stages of their education, pupils are taught to read and write accurately. They develop a love of stories. Pupils enjoy a broad curriculum, which is enriched by visits to local farms, museums and theatre. Pupils benefit from a focus on developing a positive mindset. Most pupils attend regularly, but a significant minority miss too much of their education, which hinders the progress they make over time. Pupils are sometimes lively, but they typically respond well to requests from staff. They mostly engage with their lessons throughout the day. Generally, they show respect to staff and each other. The youngest children play well together, share resources and typically sustain their concentration. Pupils relish their playtimes, where they engage in a variety of activities that build resilience, encourage calculated risk-taking and foster relationships. They particularly love climbing the designated trees! Pupils say they feel safe. On the rare occasions there is bullying, staff address this swiftly and effectively. Interactive theatre productions, themed weeks and assemblies teach pupils the importance of being kind to each other. New pupils who join the school mid-year are warmly welcomed and quickly make friends. Recent changes mean that pupils currently make better progress in mathematics, English and science than was previously the case. However, some aspects of the wider curriculum and the regularity of its delivery are variable. As a result, some pupils do not consistently build knowledge securely over time. This affects how pupils achieve in subjects such as geography, history and art.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that the key knowledge, including vocabulary, that children in the early years provision need to learn is identified and taught consistently, and that staff are further supported to engage with children in purposeful, high-quality interactions that help develop children's language and vocabulary.
• Leaders should ensure that the resources provided to children in the early years enable them to apply their phonics and mathematical knowledge across the provision.
• Leaders should strengthen the resources they use to identify and reduce barriers to attendance, to secure sustained improvement for all pupils, especially those who are persistently absent.
• Leaders should implement and monitor the newly designed foundation curriculum to strengthen pupils' achievements, ensuring that pupils' knowledge and skills are built over time in all subjects.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils develop deep and secure knowledge across the school's personal, social, health and economic curriculum, particularly of protected characteristics, other faiths and consent.

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