Wigmore School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 June 2023

Wigmore is a friendly, welcoming school. Pupils have a common understanding of the importance of values like empathy, equality and teamwork. This results in positive relationships and a shared commitment to their learning. Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and pupils usually meet these. Pupils arrive to school in a calm and orderly way, greeting the staff on duty. Pupils get on well with each other at social times, whether playing football or enjoying their lunch, picnic- style, on the field. Behaviour in lessons is good but, on occasion, the behaviour of a few pupils can disrupt the learning of others. Pupils engage positively with their learning tasks, from talking confidently in French and Spanish to the quality of their writing in English. They achieve strong outcomes by the time they leave the school. Pupils value the ways in which they can contribute to the school and wider community. Many support the smooth running of the school through their work as prefects. Some offer support as 'reading buddies'. Pupils plan fundraising activities for their chosen charities. They enjoy participating in the varied house competitions, from baking cakes to making rocket cars. They enjoy and benefit from educational visits, including trips to London and Paris.

What the school should improve

• Summative assessment in key stage 3 is not always linked to the learning that has taken place. There are times when some assessments are not needed as pupils' key learning has already been checked and gaps addressed. This means that pupils sometimes complete assessments that do not help to move their learning forwards. This also impacts on staff workload. Leaders should ensure that their approach to assessment in key stage 3 is more focused on how much pupils know and remember about their learning, and that any changes support further reductions in staff workload.
• Some parents are dissatisfied with the way leaders communicate with them. Because of this, there is not yet a shared understanding of leaders' vision for the school. Leaders should engage more effectively with parents, so that everyone in the school community is able to meaningfully contribute to leaders' ongoing school improvement work.

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