Wisewood Nursery & Primary School

Wisewood Nursery & Primary School is a small, welcoming school with a strong family feel. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils say they feel safe and well cared for. The school is particularly strong in early years, inclusion and personal development: staff know pupils extremely well, identify additional needs early, and provide expert support through the 'Nest'. Pupils benefit from a broad personal development programme, good behaviour and positive relationships, and disadvantaged pupils achieve well overall. Standards are solid in several areas but not yet consistently strong across the board. Pupils achieve well overall, especially in reading and mathematics, and attendance is improving. However, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in writing by the end of key stage 2 has been comparatively low, and the most able pupils do not always write at the depth they are capable of. The school's consistent teaching approach is still becoming embedded in some classes following staffing changes. Leaders are ambitious, accurate about priorities and well supported by governors and the trust. Parents are overwhelmingly positive. The main next steps are to embed the consistent teaching approach so that writing standards rise, especially for the most able, and to keep improving attendance for all pupils. The school has a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEN support compared with national averages, which is relevant to its work.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where pupils feel safe and know trusted adults.
• Early years provision is strong, with carefully sequenced learning and well-trained staff.
• Inclusion is a significant strength, with early and accurate identification of SEND and other needs.
• The 'Nest' provides calm, expert support that makes a marked difference to vulnerable pupils.
• Personal development is woven through school life and offers wide enrichment, clubs and leadership opportunities.
• Pupils achieve well overall, and disadvantaged pupils perform favourably compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Reading and phonics are taught well, and pupils read with accuracy and growing fluency.
• The curriculum is ambitious and rooted in the local context, including Sheffield history and local artists.
• Pupils behave well, the school is calm and orderly, and bullying is exceptionally uncommon.
• Attendance is improving and is broadly in line with the national average.
• Leaders are ambitious, accurate about strengths and priorities, and make decisions in pupils' best interests.
• Staff value the coaching and professional development they receive, and leaders are mindful of workload and wellbeing.
• Governors and trustees understand their duties and provide effective support and challenge.
• Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school and would recommend it.
• The school benefits from trust membership, which promotes collaboration for ongoing improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in writing by the end of key stage 2 has been comparatively low in recent years.
• Some of the most able pupils do not produce writing that reflects the depth of which they are capable.
• The school's consistent approach to teaching is still becoming established in some classes following recent staffing changes.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average and requires continued improvement.
• Leaders should continue working with parents and carers so that attendance improves for all pupils.

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 Wisewood Nursery & Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.4% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Wisewood Nursery & Primary 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 Wisewood Nursery & Primary School had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.5% 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, 16.6% of pupils at Wisewood Nursery & Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 2024–25 Wisewood Nursery & Primary School received £7,973 and spent £8,359 for each of its 173 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £80,000 (-£466 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Inova Multi-Academy Trust Limited, income was £7,607 and spending £7,667 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Sheffield · Sheffield local authority: places and applications

Wisewood Nursery & Primary School is part of Inova Multi-Academy Trust Limited, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Hillsborough Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Forge Valley School & Sixth Form Sheffield
• Shooters Grove Nursery and Primary School Sheffield
• Meynell Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Bradfield Secondary School Sheffield
• Southey Green Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Tapton School & Sixth Form Sheffield
• Hallam Nursery & Primary School Sheffield
• Dobcroft Junior School Sheffield

What is Wisewood Nursery & Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wisewood Nursery & Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Wisewood Nursery & Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wisewood Nursery & Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Wisewood Nursery & Primary School have?

Wisewood Nursery & Primary School has 169 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wisewood Nursery & Primary School cover?

Wisewood Nursery & Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Wisewood Nursery & Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wisewood Nursery & Primary School?

Wisewood Nursery & Primary School is at Ben Lane, Wisewood, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S6 4SD.