Newhall Junior School

Two years into a new chapter and nearly a year into a temporary building, Newhall Junior School is a school in transition. It opened as a sponsor-led academy on 1 July 2024, the day it joined Lionheart Educational Trust, and serves pupils aged 7 to 11 in Newhall, Swadlincote, in Derbyshire. Clare Weaver leads it as Head of School.

The picture for parents has two sides. Wellbeing and enrichment carry real, named substance: Thrive Ambassador School status, the Music Mark of Recognition for 2025/26 and a Silver Space Education Quality Mark. Results, by contrast, sit well below the England average, and the school has no inspection report of its own yet. With 284 pupils on a roll built for 356, it is a mid-sized, mixed, non-faith community junior school. It is a place to judge on its direction of travel as much as on its current numbers.

Since the October half-term of 2025, lessons have taken place in a brand-new temporary building while the permanent school is rebuilt. The school describes the new classrooms as bright and spacious, with spaces for group work and play, and says the move went smoothly with lessons resuming straight away. A new permanent school is due to be ready in 2027. For a family choosing now, that means a child starting in Year 3 in September 2027 could spend most of their junior years in a new building, while current pupils live through the construction period.

The campus is shared. Newhall Infant School sits on the same site, and a significant number of pupils join Newhall Junior in Year 3 from there. Mercia Academy, an 11 to 16 secondary school that is also part of Lionheart, shares the campus too. That three-school arrangement gives the place a clear local identity: a child can move from infant to junior to secondary without leaving the site.

Character education is written into the curriculum rather than bolted on. The Lionheart Character Award (LCA) is built around three strands (Leadership and learning, Changing mindsets, Adventure and exploration) and teaches resilience, self-confidence and discipline through physical activity, outdoor learning and teamwork. Those strands feed into the school's 6Rs: resilience, respect, reciprocity, responsibility, resourcefulness and reflection. Visiting speakers pick up the same language; when Team GB athletes came in for National School Sports Week, they linked their stories to the 6Rs.

The stated aim, set out by Clare Weaver, is for every pupil to be engaged and challenged, with an emphasis on independent learning ready for secondary school and on support for children who need extra help academically, socially or physically.

These are the numbers that matter most for parents weighing up Newhall Junior School, and they are weak. In the most recent published Key Stage 2 results, 42% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, against an England average of 62%. At the higher standard the gap is sharper: 1% reached it across all three subjects, compared with 8% in England.

Newhall Junior School ranks 13,932nd of 14,978 in England for primary (KS2) results (top 93.0%), ranked against all schools in England with published primary results, state and independent. In plain terms, that places it in the lowest tenth of ranked primaries, below the England average. This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking built from official data.

The subject breakdown is more even than the headline suggests:

• Reading is the strongest area. 66% met the expected standard, the average scaled score was 102 (against 100 for the expected standard) and 21% achieved a high score.
• Grammar, punctuation and spelling followed, with 60% meeting the expected standard, a scaled score of 101 and 12% achieving a high score.
• Mathematics is the weak point. 53% met the expected standard, the average scaled score was exactly 100 and 11% achieved a high score.
• Writing at greater depth was reached by 4% of pupils.
• Science: 75% met the expected standard, below the England average of 82%.

The cohort was 73 pupils, so each child counts for a little under 1.4 percentage points. Two things follow. Reading scores near the expected standard suggest the foundations are there, and the combined measure is dragged down mainly by mathematics and writing. Families should ask the school directly what has changed in maths teaching since these results, and how progress is tracked for pupils who arrive from infant school below the expected level.

The curriculum covers the full set of National Curriculum subjects: English (reading and writing), mathematics, science, geography, history, religious education, art, design technology, music, computing, PE, a modern foreign language and PSHE. From September 2026, relationships and sex and health education is taught through the Jigsaw scheme, and parents can use Jigsaw's parent access to see up-to-date lesson content. Curriculum maps and intent statements are published for each subject.

Daily practice leans on well-known programmes. Accelerated Reader supports reading, with pupils completing quizzes in the library. Times Table Rock Stars and Spelling Shed appear in both breakfast and after-school clubs. That gives a child routine, low-stakes practice in exactly the areas where results need to improve.

History and geography are taught through enquiry questions and trips. Year 3 studied the question of why we should preserve our locality, with a walk around the local area, and visited Calke Abbey for a geography topic on climate. Year 3 also took part in a drama workshop for their Bronze Age to Iron Age topic, and Year 4 met Widget Workshop for a day in Ancient Egypt. Year 6 had a drama workshop based on A Christmas Carol ahead of studying it in writing lessons.

Science has a distinctive space thread. The Silver Space Education Quality Mark from the European Space Education Resource Office followed World Space Week activities, when children handled Martian artefacts, tried astronaut training and built model space capsules. The school also marked British Science Week 2026 with a full programme of activities. For a curious child, that kind of hook can make a subject stick.

Mercia Academy is the natural next step. It is an 11 to 16 secondary in Swadlincote, part of the same trust, and shares the Newhall campus. It is the first school featured on the school's secondary transfer page, and the Head of School notes that many pupils move on there. A child moving up already knows the site.

Mercia Academy is not the only route. The school points families in Year 5 and Year 6 to the full list of secondary schools in the area, and applications for Year 7 go through Derbyshire County Council. Because Mercia Academy stops at 16, families should also look ahead to sixth-form or college options when choosing.

The Year 6 programme adds confidence-building before transfer. The Mini Police programme with Derbyshire Police gave Year 6 a crime-scene session in which the art room became two crime scenes to solve. The Lea Green residential in Year 6 includes low ropes, a zip line, a climbing tower, archery and a night walk. Both give pupils practice at independence and teamwork before the move to secondary.

All admissions are handled by Derbyshire County Council, and the published admission number is 90 places a year. Children living in the school's catchment area have priority for a place. The council's published admission arrangements set out the full oversubscription criteria, and families should check them before applying.

For a September 2027 start in Year 3, Derbyshire asks families of children born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 who are in their last year of infant school to apply for a junior place between 9 November 2026 and 15 January 2027. Applications after that date are still accepted but are treated as late. Offers are available from midnight on 16 April 2027. Families who live outside Derbyshire, including in Derby, apply through their own home council. Children with an education, health and care plan have their place arranged through the council's SEND assessment service instead.

The Derbyshire council also advises families to include their normal area school among their preferences, since a place may not be available there if other preferences cannot be met. For many families on the Newhall campus, that will be this school.

Visits are part of the process. Children starting at the beginning of Year 3 are offered arranged opportunities to visit and meet staff with their parents. Families joining later can book a look round through the school office.

With 284 pupils on roll against a capacity of 356, the school is not full. That does not guarantee a place in any given year group, but it is worth asking the office about current availability, especially for in-year moves.

Wellbeing is where the school has the strongest external recognition. It uses the Thrive Approach, which draws on neuroscience, attachment theory and child development and treats challenging behaviour as communication. Each child supported through Thrive gets an individual plan, with activities and strategies shared between a Thrive coach, the class teacher and parents. In September 2024, the school was judged a Thrive Ambassador School with Excellence in Environment, Reparative and Right-Time. That matters for a child who has had a difficult start or finds school stressful: support is planned and reviewed rather than improvised.

Smaller, practical touches back it up. Let's Ketchup Club, run by Mrs Clarke-Fearn and Miss Taylor-Clarke, gives pupils who benefit from extra social time or a quieter lunchtime a supportive space; places are limited and planned so that children still get time outdoors with friends. Friendship Club runs at lunchtimes several days a week.

SEND provision follows an inclusive model: full access to the curriculum, early identification with achievable targets, regular reviews of progress, flexible use of additional adults for groups and individuals, and work with parents and outside agencies. Pupils with SEND are encouraged into clubs alongside everyone else. The school publishes a Primary SEND Information Report 2026, an Anxiety And Stress Support Pack and a Dyslexia Support in Primary Schools guide, and SEND queries go to Mrs J Smith through the school office. The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust Wellbeing Action Plan is among the wellbeing resources offered to families.

Music has the clearest profile. The Music Mark of Recognition for 2025/26 from the Derby & Derbyshire Music Partnership recognises schools that give every child the chance to learn through music. The school choir, drawn from Years 4, 5 and 6, rehearses after school and has performed at Young Voices at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham three years running, singing alongside thousands of other children with a live band. In January 2025, 33 children took part, learning British Sign Language and dance routines for some songs. The choir also performed at the Lionheart Fringe Festival at The Cedars Academy in July 2026. From September 2026, Rocksteady Music School runs weekly rock and pop band lessons in school for Years 3 to 6, with instruments provided, no experience needed and the chance to gain an Ofqual-regulated music qualification accredited by Trinity College London without an exam. Year 5 have even studied Grime music as part of the music curriculum.

Sport runs through clubs, fixtures and visits. The current timetable includes Sports Hall Athletics, Basketball Club and Dodgeball Club, and past terms have offered tennis, rounders, netball, football, cricket, rugby and gymnastics. At a South Derbyshire Active Schools Partnership cross-country event at Linton Primary School, Years 4 to 6 ran 1.5km and 2km courses and the Year 5/6 girls' team placed third. Team GB athletes Oliver Hynd MBE, a Paralympic gold medallist swimmer, and Georgina Forde-Wells led an assembly and relay PE sessions for National School Sports Week.

Residentials and trips give each year group something to look forward to. Year 4 go to Gulliver's Valley, Year 6 to Lea Green, and Year 5 spend a night at school for the annual Astro Camp, stargazing and creating galaxy artwork as part of their space unit. Day trips have included Calke Abbey and Cadbury World.

Pupil voice has a formal route. Each class appoints a new member to the Pupil Leadership Team every year; members act as role models, meet regularly to plan initiatives and help raise money for charities. The Library Lounge, open daily from 12:35pm to 1:05pm under Miss Sheahan and Mrs Hardman, offers a quiet alternative for readers, and Lego Club and Jigsaw Club fill other lunchtimes. Most clubs are free.

The school day starts with arrival between 8:45am and 8:50am, registration at 8:50am, and finishes at 3:20pm, giving 32.30 hours a week. An assembly takes place every day, and collective worship is broadly Christian in nature.

Wraparound care is published in full. Early Birds Breakfast Club runs every weekday from 7:45am; sessions from 7:45am to 8:15am cost £2 per child and include the option of a daily special, and 8:15am to 8:45am is free. Bookings go through the Childcare Module on Beehive at least two days ahead. Eagles After-School Club runs every day: £5.50 until 4:30pm and £8 until 5:30pm, with a sandwich and snack for later stays, sports in the Mercia Sports Hall twice a week, and childcare vouchers or sessions until 6pm arranged through the office.

Uniform is a red jumper or cardigan with a red or white polo or shirt, supplied through Stevensons. The school does not publish its own transport information; home-to-school transport is covered by Derbyshire County Council's school transport policy.

Results are well below the England average. 42% met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics against 62% in England, and maths is the weakest subject. Families should ask what has changed since and how the school supports children who arrive below the expected level.

No inspection yet under the current identity. Newhall Junior School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it opened on 1 July 2024. Before this school opened, the predecessor school (URN 112635) was judged Requires Improvement by Ofsted in December 2021. That leaves parents without an independent, current judgement of teaching, behaviour or safeguarding, so a visit and direct questions carry more weight than usual.

Building work runs until 2027. Pupils are taught in a temporary building while a new permanent school is built, due in 2027. Families should ask how play space, parking and drop-off are affected during construction.

The campus route is strong, but it stops at 16. The infant, junior and Mercia Academy path suits families who want continuity; those who want a different secondary or a school with a sixth form will need to apply elsewhere through Derbyshire.

Newhall Junior School is a school to judge on direction rather than a finished record. Its current results are weak, maths especially, and it has no inspection of its own yet. Against that, it has built a strong wellbeing framework through Thrive, a music offer that now includes Rocksteady and a well-travelled choir, and a character programme that gives every year group residentials and real responsibilities. A new permanent building is due in 2027.

It is best suited to local families in the catchment, especially those whose children are coming up from Newhall Infant School and are likely to move on to Mercia Academy, and to children who will benefit from structured emotional support. Families for whom current attainment is the deciding factor should visit, ask hard questions about maths and writing, and compare carefully.