Delves Lane Primary School, Consett

Ofsted's report card from its 9 June 2026 inspection grades Delves Lane Primary School on 7 areas: 2 expected standard and 5 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Staff work hard to know each pupil well."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils develop their knowledge through the taught personal development programme."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Over time, pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, have not achieved well in national tests."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Systems for analysing pupil absences are not as effective as they could be."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have recently taken steps to strengthen the teaching of English, phonics, science and mathematics."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders have created a suitable plan of what staff in the early years should teach and when."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders understand the school's context."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the key knowledge, including vocabulary, that children in the early years provision need to learn is identified and taught consistently, and that staff are further supported to engage with children in purposeful, high‑quality interactions that help develop children's language and vocabulary"; "Leaders should ensure that the resources provided to children in the early years enable them to apply their phonics and mathematical knowledge across the provision"; "Leaders should strengthen the resources they use to identify and reduce barriers to attendance, to secure sustained improvement for all pupils, especially those who are persistently absent"; "Leaders should implement and monitor the newly designed foundation curriculum to strengthen pupils' achievements, ensuring that pupils' knowledge and skills are built over time in all subjects"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils develop deep and secure knowledge across the school's personal, social, health and economic curriculum, particularly of protected characteristics, other faiths and consent".

From the headteacher's welcome: "In this section you will find information on how we run our school including our current staffing structure and governing body. You can use performance tables (sometimes known as league tables) to compare schools and colleges in your area. You can check:"

The school runs a breakfast club from 7:40am and after-school care until 5:30pm, from £2.50 per day.

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils at Delves Lane Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 41% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in County Durham and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 60% in reading and 63% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Delves Lane Primary School as their first choice and 35 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Delves Lane Primary School are Consett Infant School (0.9 miles, Good); St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Consett (1 mile, 70% reading, 60% maths); Consett Junior School (1 mile, Good, 70% reading, 73% maths); and Leadgate Primary School - Split Site (1.2 miles, Good, 63% reading, 53% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Delves Lane Primary School.

43.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 87 pupils (31.8%) received SEN support and 14 (5.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Delves Lane Primary School.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Aged Miners Homes (n-bound), 120 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 196 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in County Durham (84), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Delves Lane Primary School issued 72 suspensions, 25.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.