Wessex Gardens Primary School, London

Requires Improvement
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 211

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~330m)Possible (~472m)Unlikely (~614m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Alexander Banks
Pupils:247 / 390 capacity
LA:Barnet
Phone:02084559572
Address:Wessex Gardens, London, NW11 9RR
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:8 December 1998

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Inspected 17 June 2025View full report
URN:131617
UKPRN:10075237
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Finchley and Golders Green
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school creates a truly inclusive, caring environment where all children thrive. Reading is woven through every subject, and the early years provision is outstanding - children develop a genuine love of learning from day one. The school is particularly strong at supporting children with additional needs, ensuring they learn confidently alongside their peers.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding early years provision with exceptional work on letter and number formation and early writing
  • Reading is prioritized across all classes with expert phonics teaching and well-matched books
  • Strong support for pupils with SEND, with swift identification and specialist staff training
  • Excellent behavior and positive pupil attitudes to learning
  • Rich opportunities for leadership roles and personal development including residential visits

Areas for Improvement

  • In some wider curriculum subjects, tasks don't help pupils build on prior knowledge deeply enough
  • Teachers' checks on learning in some curriculum areas are not consistently useful
  • Curriculum thinking in a few subjects needs to ensure pupils develop new knowledge and skills more effectively

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils feeling safe and knowing how to keep themselves safe including online and when swimming.

Extracurricular Activities

Football clubs, athletics, swimming (from Reception Year), school council, house captains, playground helpers, gardening projects, mindfulness sessions, residential visits, breakfast club, after-school clubs

Wessex Gardens Primary School is a nurturing school where pupils are well cared for and celebrate their diverse community. The school has made significant improvements since the previous inspection, with ambitious curriculum design and strong outcomes for most pupils.

At a Glance

35.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

28 responses
Would recommend93%
Child is happy96%
Well taught93%
Good progress82%
Feels safe96%
Well behaved96%
Bullying dealt with14%
Kept informed93%
Handles concerns64%
Wider development93%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-1ppMaths-14ppWriting+13pp

Reading has remained stable at around 70%. Maths has declined from 91% to 77%. Writing has improved from 74% to 87%.

Class Sizes

22.9

Avg class size

28.5

Infant (KS1)

21.8

KS2

9

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Brent Cross Station
605m · 10 min walk
Brent Cross Underground Station
609m · 10 min walk

Bus Stops

Wessex Gardens (Stop V)
62m · 1 min walk
Pennine Drive Hendon Way (Stop R)
283m · 5 min walk
Hendon Way Cricklewood (Stop M)
361m · 6 min walk
Woodville Gardens (NW11) (Stop T)
368m · 6 min walk
The Vale Cricklewood (Stop W)
479m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

63%

Available places

247 pupils

390 capacity

143 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - London

Low pressure
New homes approved:104,823
Projected new pupils:26,206

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for London

Admissions Demand - Barnet

Low demand0.85x oversubscription

Places available

4,376

Applications

3,709

Got 1st preference

84.3%

Got preferred school

97.1%

Primary admissions across Barnet (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

17 June 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsOutstanding
22 February 2023
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
29 November 2017
Leadership & ManagementGood

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.27875%

Overall absence

16.50943%

Persistent absence

212

Enrolments

Authorised5.04994%
Unauthorised1.22881%
Persistent (10%+)16.50943%
Severe (50%+)1.88679%

Absence trend

2.7308%
18/19
2.58923%
20/21
4.30152%
21/22
5.6495%
22/23
4.34394%
23/24
6.27875%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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