Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School

Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School is a caring, inclusive school that is generally performing at the expected standard, although achievement needs attention. It is part of the Wensum Trust, serves a mixed-age primary and nursery community, and has an above-average proportion of pupils with SEN support. Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have improved attendance over recent years, refined the curriculum, and developed effective SEND provision, including the Ebb and Flow and Starfish classes. The school's notable strengths include a broad and ambitious curriculum, strong early years provision, effective inclusion and pastoral support, and a rich personal development programme. Pupils feel safe, behave well overall, and benefit from positive relationships with staff. Reading is a clear focus, with phonics and comprehension taught effectively, and disadvantaged pupils' reading outcomes have been a relative strength. Leadership, governance and trust support are effective, and staff feel supported. The main concern is pupils' achievement, especially in writing and mathematics, where outcomes at the end of Year 6 remain below national averages and the combined reading, writing and mathematics measure is below the national average. Some pupils do not develop secure spelling and handwriting, and staff do not always use assessment sharply enough to identify and address gaps. Teaching and behaviour expectations are not consistently strong, which can limit learning. Attendance has improved but overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages. Leaders are taking appropriate action, but the impact is not yet fully evident in national assessments.

Strengths

• Leaders have secured improvements to attendance over the last three years through effective family support and collaboration with local schools.
• Pupils behave well overall, play positively together and know staff will challenge bullying, discrimination or harassment promptly.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious from the early years to Year 6 and has been refined for mixed-age classes.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start, with strong routines, language development and early mathematics.
• Inclusion is a clear strength, with effective SEND support including the Ebb and Flow and Starfish classes.
• Staff work effectively with parents, carers, external agencies and the trust to support pupils with SEND.
• Leaders track disadvantaged pupils carefully and use pupil premium funding to remove barriers to learning.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with strong trust support, targeted challenge and attention to staff wellbeing.
• Personal development and wellbeing are central, with local opportunities, competitions and pupil voice shaping provision.
• Pupils feel safe, trust staff and benefit from effective pastoral support.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention because some pupils do not achieve as well as they should, especially in writing and mathematics.
• Outcomes in writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 are below national averages.
• The combined reading, writing and mathematics measure is below the national average.
• Some pupils do not develop secure spelling and handwriting skills and repeat errors because issues are not identified swiftly.
• Staff do not always use assessment effectively to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding.
• Teaching is not consistently effective, as staff sometimes do not identify missing knowledge quickly enough.
• Behaviour expectations are occasionally not clear enough, causing a few pupils to lose focus.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in writing and mathematics remain below national averages with large gaps.
• Attendance is improving but overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages.

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 Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.7% 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, 2.5% of pupils at Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery 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 Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% 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, 16.8% of pupils at Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery 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 Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School received £6,928 and spent £6,771 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £30,000 (£148 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Wensum Trust, income was £7,356 and spending £7,170 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.

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

Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School is part of The Wensum Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Alderman Peel High School Wells-Next-The-Sea
• Burnham Market Primary and Nursery School King'S Lynn
• Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School Norwich
• Firside Junior School Norwich
• Hellesdon High School Norwich
• Kinsale Junior School Norwich
• Kinsale Infant School Norwich
• Heather Avenue Infant School Norwich
• Lodge Lane Infant School Norwich
• Garrick Green Infant School Norwich

What is Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School have?

Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School has 197 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School cover?

Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 33% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School?

Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School is at Polka Road, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1JG.