Darley Churchtown headteacher proud of ‘small school with big school benefits’ where pupils thrive

It might be one of the smallest schools in the country but staff at Darley Churchtown CofE Primary School ensure pupils have all the benefits of a big school.

The Darley Dale primary has just 51 pupils but belongs to a partnership of four other local schools which means each has access to a collection of staff and activities they would not otherwise be able to offer.

These include specialist staff such as a family support worker and a full-time special educational needs coordinator and – much to the delight of all the pupils – a forest school which allows children to spend more time in nature, connecting with the environment and learning through hands-on experiences.

The Matlock and Dales Primary Partnership runs across neighbouring schools which all belong to the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust and means that pupils attending these small rural schools have the best of both worlds.

Head of school Tom Lloyd said: “Our children are really lucky because our class sizes are small which means we can provide a really nurturing environment and a high adult to child ratio.

“But the partnership means we have access to specialist staff we just wouldn’t be able to afford on our own. All schools have a special educational needs coordinator, but in small schools they would usually be teaching for a lot of the time, whereas ours works fulltime in this role.

“We describe ourselves as a small school with big school benefits. This also enables us to offer sporting events and the forest school, which without this shared resource we wouldn’t be able to offer.”

The forest school is a popular activity and underlines Darley Churchtown’s commitment to outdoor learning as a standout feature, befitting its location on the edge of the Peak District. A grant from the town council enabled staff to purchase bikes to take children out cycling and funding was also acquired for a gardening project so children can grow vegetables in planters.

Pupils are taught the importance of sustainability and the role they play in protecting the environment for future generations, as well as teaching them about the heritage of the school which dates back to Victorian times.

Originally built on land donated by the church, the primary remains a faith school and has strong connections with nearby St Helen’s.

Mr Lloyd added: “We have daily collective worship and an excellent relationship with the church, but our school is for children of all faiths, or no faith.

“A pupil’s beliefs may not necessarily be Christian, but if children leave here with an understanding of all religions and how that underpins society, then I believe that will stand them in good stead for life.

“We have a real community focus here and I’m very proud of that. Many of our staff live locally and sent their children here or do so currently.

“We are an approachable school with staff who are in the playground everyday waiting to welcome children.  We have maintained our traditional values over the years, but have still evolved to meet the needs of modern education.”

Mr Lloyd has been at the helm of the school since 2022 and has spent the last 24 months overhauling the curriculum, improving behaviour and attendance and creating the vision ‘Aim high and believe, grow and succeed’.

His work is paying off. In August the school celebrated its best ever SATs results, with every year six pupil reaching the expected standard or higher in reading, maths and grammar, punctuation and spelling.

These results place Darley Churchtown among the top-performing schools in Derbyshire, demonstrating that great things can come from even the smallest of schools.

With a cohort of just seven Year 6 pupils, the school surpassed national averages, with 100% of students achieving the expected standard in every test, with 29% achieving greater depth in reading and 43% in maths.

Mr Lloyd added: “At Darley Churchtown we may be small, but we believe in big aspirations, and these results show that our size is no barrier to success.”