Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy

Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy is a welcoming, nurturing school that is performing at the expected standard overall, with an exceptionally strong early years provision. Leaders have a clear vision and have driven significant improvements since the school joined Victoria Academies Trust in April 2025; this was its first section 5 inspection since 2014, under a different URN. Pupils feel safe, behave well and benefit from a broad, ambitious curriculum that prioritises communication, language and reading. Teaching is consistently effective for most pupils, and personal development, pastoral care and enrichment are strengths. Safeguarding standards are met. However, provision is not yet consistently ambitious for some pupils with the most complex needs. Their curriculum and wider experiences are not coherently sequenced or supported by assessment that builds progressively on their individual needs, so they do not always receive the same quality of education as their peers. This is the main area needing attention. Other areas for development include safeguarding record-keeping, which does not always clearly show the actions taken or reflect leaders’ practice, and attendance, which remains below national figures although it is improving. Published phonics outcomes are also below national, though current pupils make progress from their starting points. Overall, most pupils achieve well and are prepared for the next stage, but leaders recognise further work is needed on inclusion, attendance and records.

Strengths

• Early years curriculum is well designed, ambitious and built around children’s communication, language and relationships.
• Adults know children exceptionally well and use skilful interaction to extend vocabulary, thinking and understanding.
• Reading is prioritised from the start, helping children develop a love of books and prepare for phonics.
• The early years environment is stimulating and promotes curiosity, exploration and independence.
• Strong partnerships with families help children settle and thrive.
• Pupils behave well, have positive attitudes to learning and contribute to a calm, purposeful atmosphere.
• Relationships between pupils and staff are warm and respectful, and pupils trust adults to deal with concerns.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with a strong emphasis on spoken language and vocabulary.
• Teaching is consistently effective in most classrooms, with secure subject knowledge and good use of assessment.
• Most pupils with SEND are supported effectively to learn alongside their peers and access the ambitious curriculum.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised, with strong pastoral care and a wide range of enrichment opportunities.
• Leaders have a clear vision, work well with the trust and governors, and are valued by staff and parents.
• A strong safeguarding culture is established, and pupils feel safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils with the most complex needs do not consistently receive an ambitious, coherently sequenced curriculum matched to their individual learning needs.
• For some pupils with complex needs, assessment does not identify next small steps well enough to inform teaching.
• Safeguarding records do not always provide a clear, accurate and timely chronology of actions taken and decisions made.
• Attendance remains below national figures, particularly for pupils who do not attend regularly enough.
• Published phonics screening outcomes remain below national, although pupils make progress from their starting points.

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 2025–26 Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7).

Pupils per teacher

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, 10.9% of pupils at Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy is part of Victoria Academies Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Fibbersley Park Academy Willenhall
• Devonshire Junior Academy Smethwick
• Devonshire Infant Academy Smethwick
• Victoria Park Primary Smethwick
• Elm Tree Primary Academy Wednesbury
• Poppyfield Primary Academy Cannock
• Northfield Manor Primary Academy Birmingham
• Rowley Park Primary Academy Stafford
• Foley Park Primary Academy Kidderminster
• Birchen Coppice Academy Kidderminster

What is Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy have?

Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy has 313 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy cover?

Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy?

Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy is at West Bromwich Road, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 3HS.