Wixams Tree Primary Academy

About Wixams Tree Primary Academy

Wixams Tree Primary Academy’s headline Key Stage 2 results sit below the Bedford local authority average, which is a key point for parents to weigh up. In the 2023/24 academic year, 46% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a LA average of 57%. That puts the school in the bottom half of primary schools in Bedford, ranked 36th out of 54. The gap is most noticeable in maths, where 60% of pupils met the expected standard, and in writing, where 62% did. Reading fared better, with 67% hitting the expected level and an average scaled score of 103. At the higher standard, the picture is mixed: 19% reached greater depth in reading, but only 6% did so in maths and 8% in writing. Just 2% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. These figures suggest the school is working to close the gap with its LA peers, particularly in maths and writing.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024 rated it Good overall, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in January 2022. Every graded category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — was judged Good. That’s a solid step forward, and the inspection report noted that behaviour and attitudes had already been Good in the previous inspection, so that area has remained a strength. With 529 pupils on roll against a capacity of 630, the school is not yet full, but it is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 102 applications for 55 places, with 47 first-preference offers made. That’s an oversubscription ratio of 1.85, meaning demand is healthy but not extreme. The school serves a relatively diverse intake, with 17.4% of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Facilities are generous for a primary: a dining hall, library, sports hall, music rooms, art studios, ICT suite and playing fields. Sports on offer include tennis, football, cricket, athletics, dance, rounders and cross country, and there’s a good range of clubs from drama and choir to science, film, book and art clubs. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists six SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Headteacher Jenny Peel leads a school that has clearly turned a corner on its Ofsted rating, but the academic results remain below the LA average. This is a school that may suit families who prioritise a broad range of activities and a supportive SEND offer, and who are comfortable with results that are still catching up to local benchmarks.

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