Delves Lane Primary School

Delves Lane Primary School is a primary school with high levels of disadvantage and SEND. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is judged at expected standard for inclusion and personal development. Pupils generally feel safe, behave well, and benefit from a broad enrichment offer, including visits, clubs and a focus on wellbeing. Leaders have recently taken decisive action to improve English, phonics, science and mathematics, and there are some signs of better progress. However, the school is not yet meeting expected standards in several important areas. Achievement remains low over time in national tests, especially for disadvantaged pupils, and attendance and persistent absence are well above national averages. The curriculum and teaching are variable outside the recently strengthened core subjects, early years language and vocabulary development is inconsistent, and leadership monitoring and the pace of improvement need further work. The inspection identifies clear next steps, including strengthening early years vocabulary and resources, improving attendance systems, implementing and monitoring the foundation curriculum, and deepening personal, social, health and economic education. Overall, the school has a solid foundation in inclusion, wellbeing and behaviour, but needs to secure sustained improvement in achievement, attendance, curriculum implementation and leadership oversight.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.
• Staff know pupils well and swiftly identify barriers to learning.
• Leaders are proactive in supporting increasing numbers of vulnerable pupils and have high expectations for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils receive timely support, including from external specialists and a school counsellor where needed.
• Personal development teaches healthy relationships, healthy choices, and physical and mental health.
• Pupils learn about modern Britain, other faiths and cultures through inter-faith days, visits and diverse texts.
• Wellbeing is promoted through an award-winning human rights initiative.
• Safety education is strong, covering road safety, safe cycling, online safety and water safety.
• A broad enrichment offer includes visits, a residential, and after-school clubs such as gymnastics, movie club and dodgeball.
• Careers education raises aspirations through visits and reflection on qualifications.
• The school is generally calm and safe, with respectful pupils and high behavioural expectations.
• Pupils typically concentrate in lessons, follow routines, and bullying is rare and dealt with swiftly.
• Reasonable adjustments and support help pupils manage behaviour, and suspensions are used appropriately.
• Recent decisive action has strengthened teaching in English, phonics, science and mathematics, with some signs of success.
• Early years children are well cared for, engage well, and are growing in independence and resilience.
• Leaders engage parents positively and work with external agencies.
• Governors make appropriate checks on staff workload and wellbeing.

Areas for Improvement

• National test outcomes are low over time, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils do not secure the reading, writing and mathematics knowledge needed for the next stage.
• Year 4 multiplication and Year 1 phonics results are below national averages.
• A significant minority of younger pupils do not acquire the reading and writing skills they need.
• Many pupils have gaps in knowledge and understanding in some year groups and the wider curriculum.
• Barriers to academic learning for some disadvantaged pupils are not addressed quickly enough.
• Attendance and persistent absence are well above national averages.
• Attendance systems and resources have not secured sustained improvement, especially for persistently absent pupils.
• Curriculum quality and implementation are variable outside the recently strengthened core subjects.
• Some new curriculum plans are not yet implemented, so pupils miss key knowledge and skills.
• Large time gaps between topics make it hard for pupils to secure knowledge over time.
• Teaching effectiveness remains variable despite recent professional development.
• Early years key vocabulary is not fully identified or taught consistently.
• Early years training is not applied consistently, so some children do not acquire a broad vocabulary.
• Children have limited opportunities and resources to apply phonics and mathematics across the provision.
• Some children struggle to recall facts about recent topics.
• Leadership implementation of improvement priorities has sometimes been too slow.
• Monitoring of curriculum and achievement is inconsistent, so key improvements are not addressed quickly enough.
• More precision is needed to identify and address barriers for vulnerable pupils beyond disadvantaged and SEND pupils.
• Some parents of vulnerable pupils are not fully satisfied with communication and support.
• Personal development learning about protected characteristics, other faiths and consent lacks sufficient depth.
• Leadership opportunities for pupils are limited to a few children.
• New governors need to provide further challenge to increase the pace of improvement.
• Access to after-school clubs for more vulnerable pupils is still being developed.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Delves Lane Primary School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 7.7% of pupils at Delves Lane Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Delves Lane Primary School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 31.8% of pupils at Delves Lane Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Delves Lane Primary School received £8,069 and spent £7,559 for each of its 265 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £30,000 (£115 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Consett · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is Delves Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Delves Lane Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Delves Lane Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Delves Lane Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Delves Lane Primary School have?

Delves Lane Primary School has 274 pupils on roll.

What age range does Delves Lane Primary School cover?

Delves Lane Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Delves Lane Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 35% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Delves Lane Primary School?

Delves Lane Primary School is at Delves Lane, Consett, County Durham, DH8 7ES.