Newhall Junior School Review 2026: A small-but-busy junior setting, with a clear improvement trajectory and strong routines

For this review, there is no Key Stage 2 performance data so it would be wrong to insert any attainment percentages, scaled scores, or England ranking claims.

What can be said, with evidence, is how the quality of education has been evaluated and what priorities have been set.

The latest graded inspection available in the published documents is December 2021, with an overall judgement of Requires improvement, and sub-judgements showing Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, and Leadership and management as Good, alongside Quality of education as Requires improvement.

A monitoring inspection took place on 26 April 2023. Ofsted stated that the school continued to require improvement, with leaders making progress, but with further work needed for the school to become good. The main improvement action highlighted was ensuring the revised curriculum is implemented and embedded across all subjects so pupils know and remember more as they progress.

For parents, the practical implication is this. Behaviour, personal development, and leadership foundations were viewed positively at the last graded inspection, while curriculum consistency and subject-level sequencing were flagged as the area to watch. If your child thrives on well-specified routines and clear expectations, the environment described in the reports may feel steady. If your child needs exceptionally consistent curriculum delivery across every subject to flourish, it is sensible to ask specifically how curriculum mapping and subject leadership work now, and how staff check what pupils remember over time.

The school’s own messages emphasise engagement, challenge, and encouraging independent learning as preparation for secondary school, while also supporting pupils who need additional help across academic, social, and physical areas.

The monitoring inspection provides the most specific picture of teaching priorities during improvement work. It describes curriculum mapping across subjects to prioritise key knowledge and skills, systematic checking of impact by subject leaders, and reading as a continuing priority, including phonics teaching where needed to help pupils catch up.

This matters because it signals a teaching approach built around two levers.

• Reading and language development as a whole-school thread, not just a single subject priority.

• Curriculum sequencing and recall, meaning staff are expected to build knowledge in a deliberate order and check that pupils retain it.

For families, the useful question is not “Is teaching good?”, it is “How is teaching becoming more consistent across subjects?” The 2023 monitoring letter makes clear that implementation and embedding were still in the early stages at that point.

Newhall Junior School is a junior school, so the main transition is into Year 7 at secondary level.

The Head of School notes that many pupils move on to Mercia Academy, which shares the wider campus, and the school’s secondary admissions guidance encourages families to attend secondary open evenings typically held in September during Year 6.

The school also signposts that Derbyshire’s secondary application should be made before 31 October in the year your child is in Year 6. The practical implication is that, even for families who feel confident about their likely destination, the calendar matters, and open-evening season usually arrives early in the autumn term.

Newhall Junior School’s Published Admission Number is 90, and admissions are handled by Derbyshire County Council rather than directly by the school. The school states that children living in the catchment area have priority.

The key entry point is the start of Year 3. The school notes that there will be opportunities for families to visit and meet staff for Year 3 entry, and that in-year admissions are also possible by arranging a visit through the school office.

For the wider Derbyshire coordinated process, Derbyshire County Council’s published timeline for primary, infant and junior admissions for the 2026 to 2027 academic year lists applications opening on 10 November 2025, with the closing date at midnight on 15 January 2026, and offer day on 16 April 2026.

A practical tip for parents: if you are considering a junior transfer into Year 3, treat it with the same seriousness as a Reception application. Use FindMySchool’s Map Search to sanity-check travel practicality and your day-to-day route planning, then confirm admissions criteria directly with the local authority documentation the school links to.

Pastoral culture is described positively in the 2021 inspection report, including pupils feeling safe, calm behaviour, and confidence that staff deal with bullying quickly and effectively. Safeguarding arrangements were also described as effective in that report.

The 2023 monitoring letter adds useful operational detail for parents of pupils with additional needs. It describes extensive changes to identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, including quicker identification, precise and measurable targets, and systems intended to support inclusion in lessons and wider school life.

The implication is that wellbeing is supported both through culture (calm routines and relationships) and through systems (structured identification and targeted support). If your child needs a clearly documented plan and predictable follow-through, that systems emphasis may be reassuring, but it is still worth asking how those systems are experienced in the classroom day to day.

The extracurricular offer is clear and practical, with named clubs and a direct link between clubs and wraparound provision.

Current after-school clubs listed include Dodgeball (Years 3 to 6 on Mondays), Football (Years 3 to 6 on Wednesdays), Basketball (Years 3 to 6 on Fridays), and Choir for Years 4 to 6 (on Wednesdays, with signposting to staff for details). Previous club lists also show term-by-term rotation, including activities like tennis, rounders, athletics, netball, cricket, rugby, gymnastics, and indoor athletics.

Wraparound provision is also activity-rich rather than simply supervisory. Breakfast Club references iPad time for Times Table Rock Stars and Spelling Shed, reading and Accelerated Reader quizzes, plus board games, colouring, and use of the Trim Trail in summer term. After-School Club, branded as Eagles, lists sports options and twice-weekly use of the Mercia Sports Hall, alongside craft, construction challenges, puzzles, and quieter options such as colouring and film nights.

The implication for parents is that the school has multiple structured ways for pupils to build confidence outside lessons. For some children, clubs are the thing that makes school feel bigger than the classroom, especially in a junior phase where identity and friendship groups can change quickly.

The school day runs from arrival at 8:45am to 8:50am, with registration at 8:50am and the end of day at 3:20pm.

Breakfast Club is available every weekday from 7:45am, with breakfast served between 8:00am and 8:30am, priced at £4 per session, and free of charge for pupils on the Pupil Premium register.

After-School Club, Eagles, runs daily and lists time slots from 3:20pm to 4:30pm and 3:20pm to 5:30pm, with prices shown and an option to arrange sessions until 6:00pm by contacting the school office.

Transport-wise, the most relevant operational note is that the junior school shares the wider site context with Mercia Academy, and trust communications confirm temporary accommodation arrangements while the permanent rebuild progresses. For families, it is worth factoring potential changes to pick-up logistics during the redevelopment period.

• Inspection trajectory. The last graded inspection (December 2021) judged the school as Requires improvement, and the April 2023 monitoring letter states the school continued to require improvement, with more work needed to become good. If you are shortlisting, ask how the curriculum has been embedded across subjects since that monitoring visit, and what leaders are measuring to check pupils remember more over time.

• Rebuild disruption risk. Temporary buildings can work well, but they are still a transition. With demolition and a new permanent facility planned for completion in 2027, expect the school site experience to keep evolving, and ask how routines, outdoor space, and any specialist areas are managed during the rebuild period.

• Junior transfer timing. Entry is at Year 3, and admissions are coordinated by Derbyshire County Council. The 2026 to 2027 timeline includes a closing date of 15 January 2026 and offer day on 16 April 2026, which can arrive sooner than families expect.

Newhall Junior School looks like a junior setting with clear routines, explicit character education, and a practical approach to wraparound care, paired with a school improvement journey that is still in progress. It will suit families who want a structured day, easy access to breakfast and after-school provision, and a school that is openly focused on improving curriculum consistency. The challenge is less about daily organisation, which is clearly documented, and more about tracking the pace of academic improvement and how the rebuild period affects the lived experience.