Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery

Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery is a happy, welcoming school where pupils enjoy learning and feel safe. Inspectors found good quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision, with leadership and management judged outstanding. The school has moved on strongly from a period of staffing, leadership and financial instability; it is now fully staffed, federated with Drake Primary School, and has rapidly addressed weaknesses that had caused a dip in standards. Pupils make good progress and achieve well. Strengths include a well-considered curriculum, particularly strong teaching in English and mathematics, precise phonics teaching, effective support for pupils with SEND, calm behaviour, and well-led early years provision. Pupils benefit from trips, clubs, reading, responsibilities and a positive culture around diversity. Safeguarding is effective. The main area to improve is that some staff do not consistently use high-quality questioning and discussion or check pupils’ understanding across the wider curriculum, which can slow progress. Playtime also offers limited organised activities. The school is aware of this and has already improved communication with parents after a distant period following the pandemic.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, enjoy learning and feel safe.
• Teaching of reading and phonics is precise and helps pupils learn to read quickly.
• English and mathematics teaching is strong, supported by effective training and coaching.
• The curriculum is well considered and carefully chosen.
• Pupils with SEND are identified well and supported through effective adaptations and technology.
• Behaviour in lessons is calm and pupils meet high expectations.
• Early years provision is strong, including high-quality support for two-year-olds and engaging indoor and outdoor learning.
• Pupils are kind, respectful and welcoming to newcomers.
• Older pupils have meaningful leadership responsibilities.
• Leadership and management are outstanding, with rapid improvements and effective federation working.
• Governors provide strong support and challenge.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff do not consistently use high-quality questioning and discussion to move learning on across the wider curriculum.
• Pupils’ understanding is not checked consistently well in some subjects, which can slow progress.
• Playtimes have limited organised games and activities for pupils.
• Parental relationships had become distant after the pandemic, although the school is rebuilding them.

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 Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.0% 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, 7.4% of pupils at Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery 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 Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery had 24.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 58.5% 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, 19.2% of pupils at Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery received £7,680 and spent £9,103 for each of its 182 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £421,000 (-£2,313 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wymondham · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

What is Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery have?

Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery has 182 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery cover?

Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery?

Wicklewood Primary School and Nursery is at Hackford Road, Wicklewood, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 9QJ.