Denton Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 February 2026

Staff and pupils are proud and happy to be part of this small school at the heart of the village. Pupils arrive at school eager and ready to learn. They want to be in school. As a result, pupils attend school well. Staff build warm and positive relationships with pupils. Pupils have their ‘helping hands’, which remind them of adults who will help them. They know that staff will listen to them if they have a concern. Pupils say they feel safe. They say that bullying is rare, and if it happens, adults deal with it quickly. Pupils play well together across the year groups. This includes the Nursery children, who wear bright bibs so that adults and other pupils can easily see them. Older pupils are mindful of the little ones. The youngest children benefit from socialising with the mixed ages. Pupils take part in enrichment activities, including dancing, table tennis and the running club. They enjoy their leadership roles. For example, they can be a member of the school council or a librarian, where they like helping the younger children choose a book. Well-established routines and high expectations of behaviour lead to pupils learning in a calm environment. Pupils live out the school's golden rules of 'be kind, be safe, be respectful and responsible'. They behave well. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. In some subjects, such as art and history, pupils talk about what they have learned with confidence and enthusiasm. Most pupils are prepared for the next stage of their learning. However, teachers do not consistently check what pupils are learning. As a result, some of the work provided to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is not well matched to what they know.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment information to check what pupils already know, in particular when adapting learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They should ensure that activity choices support pupils to embed their learning. • Leaders should ensure that teachers identify gaps in pupils' learning to improve all aspects of pupils' writing, including letter formation and handwriting. • Leaders should continue to develop high-quality interactions between adults and children in the early years.

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