Derry Hill Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 March 2024

There is a strong sense of community at Derry Hill Primary School. The school is friendly and welcoming. Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy attending and do so regularly. Relationships between pupils and adults are positive. Pupils appreciate the care and support that they receive from staff. They know that there are adults to talk to if they have a concern. As a result, pupils feel safe. The school's vision 'let your light shine' sets out its ambition. The school has made improvements to the quality of the curriculum. However, some changes are in their early stages and the school's ambition is not yet fully realised. The school's behaviour policy sets out clear expectations for all. Pupils know the 'golden rules' well. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They are keen to do well. Pupils proudly take on leadership roles, such as head boy and head girl, and membership of the school council. Reading ambassadors eagerly take care of the school library. They help promote a love of reading with other children across the school. For example, running a competition to decorate a wooden spoon as their favourite book character as part of World Book Day.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum in some subjects, is being developed and is not yet fully in place. Consequently, there is not enough coherence between what pupils will learn and when they will learn it so that knowledge builds sequentially on what they already know. This is evident in some aspects of the English curriculum, such as pupil's writing. The school needs to continue to develop the writing curriculum so that it makes clear the sequence of learning to support pupils with making progress.
• Leadership in some areas of the curriculum does not yet have sufficient oversight of the implementation of the curriculum. As a result, there is currently too much variance in how effectively pupils build a secure understanding. The school needs to strengthen leadership of the curriculum to ensure that it is implemented as planned, in order to secure improvements in pupils' outcomes.
• A number of parents have a less favourable view of the school. Some parents do not feel that the school communicates as well as it could with them and that it does not always meet their child's academic needs. The school must continue to develop methods for engaging and communicating with parents to ensure that they are well informed and have greater confidence in the school's work.

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