At South Darley, we offer a rich, ambitious curriculum designed to make the most of our village school. With just three classes and an experienced, dedicated team, every child's learning is shaped by teachers who know them well — their strengths, their interests, and where they need to go next.

Our unique four-year topic rotation means children revisit and deepen their understanding of subjects as they grow — and because our classes are mixed-age, every child benefits from learning alongside older and younger peers.

Reading and maths are built on strong foundations — Twinkl Phonics in the early years and White Rose Maths across the school. Every junior learns a musical instrument through our partnership with Derbyshire Music Partnership, and our children enjoy regular swimming, forest school, and a wide programme of trips and enrichment activities. We hold Music Mark School status, an external mark of our commitment to music education.

Ofsted (2024) found that "pupils enjoy learning at this school" — and that's something you notice the moment you walk through the door.

It shows in the outcomes: in summer 2026, 6 of our 8 Year 6 children reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — nationally the figure is closer to 5 in 8. You can see the full picture on our Results page.

Browse the pages below to find out more about our curriculum, class pages, results and school day.