Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School

Wheatfields Infants’ and Nursery School is a welcoming, inclusive school where strong relationships help children settle quickly and feel safe. This was its first routine section 5 inspection since the pandemic, and it is part of Ambition Education Trust; because of the current inspection framework, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded, although the school was previously judged outstanding before becoming an academy. The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision are all good, while personal development is a standout strength. Pupils benefit from an engaging curriculum enriched by trips, visitors and a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Reading is a particular strength, with effective support for pupils who need extra practice, and pupils with SEND are well supported to communicate, self-regulate and access lessons. The school’s personal development programme is highly valued by pupils and parents, and governance and trust support are strong. Attendance compares favourably with national levels, and parents hold the school in high regard. The main areas for improvement are in the early years curriculum and behaviour consistency. Some early years knowledge and skills are too broad, and teachers lack clarity about exactly what children should know and when to check it, which limits assessment and progress for some children. Staff also respond inconsistently to inattentive or impolite behaviour, and leaders’ work to address this is at an early stage. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming culture with strong relationships between staff, pupils and families
• Personal development provision is exceptionally strong and highly valued by pupils and parents
• Broad range of trips, visitors, clubs and enriching experiences
• Pupils achieve highly in reading, with effective support for those who fall behind
• Key stage 1 curriculum has clear goals, concepts, skills and vocabulary
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, including communication and self-regulation
• Strong trust and governance oversight, with useful networking and professional support
• Attendance levels compare favourably with national figures
• Early years writing focus helps more children use phonics to write short sentences
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Early years curriculum content is too broad, with insufficient clarity about what children must learn and when
• Assessment in early years is not precise enough to guide teaching and ensure all children achieve their best
• Staff responses to inattentive or impolite behaviour are inconsistent
• Some pupils lose focus or interact disrespectfully when expectations are not communicated clearly and consistently
• Leaders’ efforts to secure consistent behaviour management are at an early stage

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 Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Wheatfields Infants' 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 Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School had 23.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 3.3% of pupils at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School received £7,625 and spent £7,966 for each of its 273 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £230,000 (£842 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Ambition Education Trust, income was £8,105 and spending £7,965 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 St Albans · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is part of Ambition Education Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Wheatfields Junior Mixed School St Albans
• Sandringham School St Albans
• Skyswood Primary & Nursery School St Albans
• St Albans Girls' School St Albans
• Verulam School St Albans
• Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School St Albans
• Alban City School St Albans
• Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery St. Albans
• The Adeyfield Academy Hemel Hempstead
• Ridgeway Academy Welwyn Garden City

What is Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School have?

Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School has 243 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School cover?

Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?

Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is at Downes Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9NT.