Wheatfields Junior Mixed School

About Wheatfields Junior Mixed School

Wheatfields Junior Mixed School in St Albans is running at full capacity with 360 pupils on roll, matching its stated capacity exactly. This suggests a school that is well-subscribed within the local community, though the data does not indicate whether it is oversubscribed at the point of admission. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 4.4%, which is notably low compared with the national average for primary schools in England, typically around 20-25%. This places the school in a relatively affluent intake context, consistent with its location in Hertfordshire. The school is a state-funded, mixed junior school for children aged 7 to 11, with no nursery or sixth-form provision. It has no religious character, so admissions are handled by the local authority without a faith-based criterion. The headteacher is Janice Tearle, who has been in post during the school's most recent Ofsted inspection.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2013, Ofsted rated Wheatfields Junior Mixed School as Good overall, with Good for both leadership and management and overall effectiveness. An ungraded inspection in July 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. Academically, the school performs well above the local authority average. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hertfordshire average of 64%. The school's average scores in reading and maths were both 108, above the national benchmark of 100. A higher proportion of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading (44%) and maths (40%) than in writing (30%). The school ranks 23rd out of 40 primary schools in St Albans on the expected standard metric, placing it in the top 25% nationally.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, an ICT suite, art studios and a chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, gymnastics, football, swimming, rounders and cricket, while clubs include drama, book club, science club, choir and chess. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health needs. For families considering alternatives, the nearest Outstanding-rated school is Skyswood Primary & Nursery School, 0.7 km away. Wheatfields suits families looking for a well-subscribed, Good-rated junior school with strong academic outcomes above the local average, a wide range of extracurricular activities and comprehensive SEND provision, all within a relatively low-deprivation catchment area.

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