Wheatley Park School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 March 2022

'The school always encourages us to aim high,' said one student, typical of many, to the lead inspector as she explained her desire to study at Oxbridge. Many students are successful in their aspirations to continue studying when they leave. The school's values of 'everyone learning, everyone caring' are at the heart of everything leaders plan. Respectful relationships between staff and pupils are the basis of the care shown at this school. The majority of pupils respect the school environment and support each other well. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the senior student leadership team published the 'Pathogen Pamphlet', a newsletter that contained lockdown tips to keep positive, cooking ideas, fun facts and film recommendations. This school community is a caring one. Trained members of staff support pupils when they need help. Older pupils take up positions of leadership to help others. Pupils feel safe and well cared for at Wheatley Park. The 'safe@school' anti-bullying strategy helps pupils understand what bullying is and where they can seek support if they feel they need to. Bullying is very rare, and most pupils feel that staff are effective at sorting it out.

What the school should improve

• Leaders are aware that in some subjects, curriculum thinking is not as well-developed as in others. This means that the intended curriculum is not as methodically delivered as it is, for example, in the core subjects. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum in these subjects precisely maps out the necessary knowledge and skills pupils need to learn to be successful and curriculum implementation matches the school's own high standards.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)