Delves Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Delves Junior School is a rapidly improving school where leaders have high aspirations for all pupils.

The school's motto 'to dream, believe and achieve' drives leaders' work. Pupils are happy and safe. They are well cared for and want to come to school.

Bullying is not tolerated at the school. Leaders act swiftly and effectively to resolve any concerns.

Pupils are well supported to be confident, resilient learners.

Leaders have carefully designed the curriculum so that pupils achieve well academically and personally. Pupils know that being respectful means being kind and listening when others are speaking. Pupils gain wider experiences and develop t...heir talents through a range of enrichment activities, such as after-school clubs and the 'Delves Offer'.

Leaders have created a highly positive culture where pupils take ownership of their behaviour. Everyone is encouraged to care for and help each other. In classrooms, pupils are highly motivated and focused on their learning.

They share ideas sensibly with their peers and show resilience when solving problems. Play leaders and well-being champions help pupils to play well together during social times. One parent said her children 'feel safe, well cared for and most of all included', which was typical of many parents' and carers' comments.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum for pupils. They ensure that teachers have excellent subject knowledge. Pupils are taught the vocabulary needed to deepen learning.

Teachers check pupils' learning often. Pupils who struggle or need harder work receive the right support. As a result, teaching is highly effective and pupils achieve very well.

Leaders prioritise reading. The reading curriculum is carefully planned. Pupils enjoy reading.

They are taught to read well in school. Pupils who need to catch up in their reading receive effective support from adults. Leaders are revising the range of books used to teach reading so that they closely match the sounds pupils are learning in an age-appropriate way.

In most subjects, the curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils build up knowledge over time. Subject leaders check on pupils' learning. In subjects including mathematics, history and geography, teachers have high expectations of what pupils should achieve.

They plan next steps carefully to meet pupils' needs, based on what pupils know and can do already. Pupils enjoy mathematics. They enjoy finding out about people and places in history and geography lessons.

The development of the curriculum in some subjects, such as computing and Spanish, has been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders are not as far ahead with this work as they would have liked. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils are effectively supported to access the same curriculum as other pupils in school.

They achieve well. Parents are positive about the care and support their children receive.

Provision for pupils' personal development is a real strength of the school.

However, some of this work has been hampered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As restrictions have eased, leaders have prioritised support for pupils' mental health and well-being. Activities such as visits to the theatre and after-school sports clubs have been reinstated.

Pupils recently enjoyed a theatre visit to see the pantomime 'Cinderella'. They talked excitedly about the forest school and football club. Pupils develop a range of life skills, such as empathy and teamwork.

They recognise and respect others' differences. The curriculum prepares pupils well for the next stage in their education. Pupils are encouraged to dream about their future careers; they have high aspirations.

Leaders engage with businesses, the local football club and the local university to enhance the opportunities they offer to pupils. Strong pastoral support means that pupils and families get timely and effective help and support.

Governors know the school well.

They are committed to the school and its pupils. Leaders are highly effective in supporting staff to manage their workload well. Any issues are identified and dealt with swiftly and appropriately.

Staff appreciate the recent changes to assessment that have significantly reduced their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that staff know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil.

They are aware of specific areas of concern, such as protecting pupils from criminal exploitation, neglect and sexual harassment. Leaders seek the right support for vulnerable pupils, including support from external agencies.

Leaders make sure that appropriate pre-employment checks on staff are undertaken before they are appointed.

Pupils learn about safety in the home and the local community. They also learn about how to maintain healthy relationships and keep safe when online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have recently introduced a revised curriculum structure in Spanish and computing.

They now need to evaluate the impact that these curriculum changes are having on what pupils learn. Leaders should support subject leaders to evaluate the impact of curriculum implementation on what pupils know and remember. ? For a few pupils who have fallen behind in their reading, books do not match closely enough to the sounds they are learning.

This hampers their progress in catching up quickly. Leaders should ensure that books are well matched to the sounds pupils are learning. They should monitor the impact of this work closely, so that these pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills that they need to become confident, fluent readers.

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