Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School, St. Albans
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in St. Albans, part of Ambition Education Trust. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School in detail
Getting a place at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School as their first choice and 108 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School are Wheatfields Junior Mixed School (under 0.1 miles, 90% reading, 90% maths); Skyswood Primary & Nursery School (0.4 miles, 93% reading, 93% maths); St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.5 miles, 87% reading, 87% maths); and Bernards Heath Junior School (0.8 miles, Good, 83% reading, 84% maths).
Wheatfields Junior Mixed SchoolSkyswood Primary & Nursery SchoolSt John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyBernards Heath Junior School
The trust
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is one of 11 schools run by Ambition Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
113 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 73% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (73%).
Who goes there
7.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 8 pupils (3.3%) received SEN support and 7 (2.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Albans City Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sandringham School (adjacent), 280 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 74 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School issued 6 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School are Sandringham School (0.2 miles), St Albans Girls' School (0.9 miles), Beaumont School (1.2 miles) and Townsend Church of England School (1.4 miles).
Sandringham SchoolSt Albans Girls' SchoolBeaumont SchoolTownsend Church of England School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in September 2020. Before that, as Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School (URN 117268), it was rated Outstanding in September 2014.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a happy, safe environment where children thrive and develop a genuine love of learning. Staff build strong relationships with pupils and families, helping children settle quickly and confidently. The school offers an exceptionally rich curriculum with memorable trips, workshops and visitors that bring learning to life and broaden children's understanding of the world.
Key Strengths
- Warm, nurturing environment where children settle quickly and form friendships easily -
- Strong reading programme with good support at home and school -
- Extensive personal development programme with wide range of enrichment activities and experiences -
- Clear curriculum planning in Key Stage 1 with precise teaching of concepts and skills -
- Effective safeguarding arrangements and strong support for pupils with special educational needs
Areas for Improvement
- Early years curriculum lacks clarity about what children need to learn and when to learn it, limiting assessment effectiveness -
- Inconsistent behaviour management strategies across staff, leading to some pupils being inattentive or impolite
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders demonstrating strong commitment to pupil safety and wellbeing.
Extracurricular Activities
Before and after-school club (Treetops), clubs run by external experts, visits to galleries and museums, historical site visits, places of worship visits, special visitor workshops
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is a welcoming academy that has been judged Good across most areas. The school warmly welcomes pupils and families, with strong relationships and a rich curriculum enhanced by trips and visitors.
At a Glance
7.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
113 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
17.8
Avg class size
29.4
Infant (KS1)
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School
Term dates
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
237 pupils
240 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - St. Albans
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for St. Albans
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
6.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
243
Total Pupils
114
Boys
129
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
18.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,013
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,080
Per pupil
£1318k
Total funding
£14k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
8.5%
Persistent absence
188
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School
What is Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in September 2020. Before that, as Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School (URN 117268), it was rated Outstanding in September 2014.
What is the catchment area for Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
Classes at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School average 17.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School has around 243 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School in 2024/25. 8.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School?
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School is at Downes Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9NT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)