Denby Dale First and Nursery School

Overview

Denby Dale First and Nursery School is described as a "nurturing school" where leaders maintain "high expectations of pupils." The report highlights that staff have worked diligently to develop the curriculum, resulting in pupils who are "happy, feel safe and enjoy learning."

Strengths

• The curriculum is "carefully planned" in most subjects, with educational visits incorporated to "bring learning alive" and help pupils retain knowledge.
• Reading is a key priority; staff teach phonics well and provide "swift and effective support" for those falling behind, fostering "fluent and confident readers."
• Behaviour is good, with "very respectful working relationships" between pupils and staff, and incidents of bullying are "extremely rare."
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) "do well," benefiting from appropriate adaptations and full inclusion in lessons.
• Early years provision is strong, with staff helping children develop speech, vocabulary, and early skills through "exciting activities" both indoors and outside.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should further develop the curriculum to ensure it is of a "consistently high quality across all subject areas," as some subjects are less well planned than others.
• The school needs to plan more activities that enable pupils to "debate, practise and consolidate what they have learned," as there are currently limited opportunities for debate.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."