Wickhambrook Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Community is key at this small, rural school. Pupils value the fact that the school's size means they make friends across year groups. Pupils of all ages mix happily at breaktimes, as well as at breakfast or after-school club. A well-established buddy system builds lasting bonds between the oldest and youngest pupils. Attendance is high because pupils are happy to come to school. Children get off to a flying start in the early years. They settle quickly, thanks to strong routines and attentive adults. Throughout the school, there are warm relationships between pupils and adults. Pupils are proud to earn learning badges for hard work, or class points for showing the school's values of respect, resilience, responsibility, commitment and achievement. These rewards motivate them to meet adults' high expectations. Classrooms are calm and provide an environment conducive to learning. In the core areas of reading, writing and mathematics, many pupils achieve highly. There is an extensive range of high-quality, extra-curricular activities. These introduce pupils to new skills, including archery, gardening and Sudoku. Numerous roles and responsibilities help to strengthen pupils' character. Wellie monitors keep the environment tidy, class greeters welcome visitors and trust councillors represent the school at whole trust council meetings.

What the school should improve

• Occasionally, teachers miss opportunities to move pupils' learning on. This is either through the design and timing of lesson activities or through weaknesses in the use of feedback for improvement. Consequently, some pupils may not progress as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers are supported to plan appropriately challenging activities, make best use of lesson time and use feedback effectively, so that all pupils achieve the aims of the school's ambitious curriculum.

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