West Bretton Junior and Infant School

West Bretton Junior and Infant School is a small, close-knit school that inspectors found to be performing well overall. Safeguarding is met, and the school is strong in attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils attend far more regularly than nationally, behave extremely well, and benefit from warm relationships and a broad personal-development programme. Children get a flying start in the early years, and pupils with SEND or who are disadvantaged are identified and supported effectively. Reading and phonics are particular strengths, and the curriculum is broad and well designed for mixed-age classes. The main area for improvement is writing. Although leaders' work to raise standards in writing and mathematics is making a difference, writing outcomes by the end of key stage 2 do not yet reflect those improvements, and teacher-assessed writing is below national averages. Inspectors also found that staff do not consistently help pupils secure and apply handwriting and spelling skills in English and across the curriculum. Some areas, notably achievement and curriculum and teaching, are secure but not yet as strong as the school's best practice, while small cohorts and the departure of some pupils at the end of Year 5 can cause year-on-year variation in outcomes. The school has undergone significant change since the last inspection, with a new headteacher in post. Leaders and governors are described as committed, outward-looking and effective, staff feel valued, and parents are very positive about the nurture and support their children receive.

Strengths

• Attendance is consistently high, with absence and persistent absence well below national averages.
• Pupils behave extremely well, relationships are warm and respectful, and disruption to learning is rare.
• Children make a flying start in the early years, with strong communication, vocabulary and phonics foundations.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively, and they achieve well from their starting points.
• Disadvantaged pupils receive bespoke support and generally achieve well.
• Personal development is systematic and broad, including clubs, trips, leadership roles and pastoral support.
• Reading and phonics outcomes are strong, and pupils become fluent readers.
• The curriculum is broad and well designed for mixed-age classes, with effective teaching and quick correction of misconceptions.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with high expectations, staff support and positive parental engagement.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing outcomes by the end of key stage 2 do not yet reflect the improvements leaders have made.
• Teacher-assessed writing outcomes are below national averages in the latest three-year average and in 2024/25.
• Staff do not consistently secure and apply pupils' handwriting and spelling skills in English lessons and across the curriculum.
• Combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes were below the national average in 2024/25.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at West Bretton Junior and Infant School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.9% of pupils at West Bretton Junior and Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 West Bretton Junior and Infant School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.5% of pupils at West Bretton Junior and Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 West Bretton Junior and Infant School received £7,603 and spent £7,815 for each of its 115 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £94,000 (£815 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is West Bretton Junior and Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Bretton Junior and Infant School is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was West Bretton Junior and Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

West Bretton Junior and Infant School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does West Bretton Junior and Infant School have?

West Bretton Junior and Infant School has 118 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Bretton Junior and Infant School cover?

West Bretton Junior and Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are West Bretton Junior and Infant School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is West Bretton Junior and Infant School?

West Bretton Junior and Infant School is at Bretton Lane, West Bretton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4LB.