Wigmore Primary School Review 2026: High-attaining rural primary with an on-site nursery and strong enrichment

In a small North Herefordshire village close to the borders with Shropshire and Powys, Wigmore Primary School combines the intimacy of a rural setting with the advantages of being part of a wider 3 to 16 trust on the same site. That matters in practical ways, pupils can access specialist spaces next door (including science labs, workshops, food technology, a sports hall and computing rooms), and older-phase expertise can feed into Key Stage 2 subject teaching.

This is a high-performing primary by the measures parents most commonly use. In 2024, 87% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 48.33% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, versus 8% across England.

Leadership is shared across the wider trust. Dr Rob Patterson is the headteacher named in the latest inspection documentation, and he has been in the senior trust leadership role since September 2020.

The school’s stated motto, “Enjoying Learning Together”, captures a simple premise, pupils do best when they feel safe, known, and included. It is reflected in how responsibilities are distributed across the school, with roles such as values ambassadors, sports leaders, buddies and house captains giving pupils visible ways to contribute beyond their own classroom.

For families considering nursery, the on-site provision is integrated into the primary phase rather than operating as a separate entity. The nursery is referred to as Acorn Class, and it is explicitly positioned as part of the daily flow of school life, including access to wider facilities across the site.

A notable feature of school life is the balance between calm routines and high participation. The day is structured clearly, breakfast provision, a defined start to the day, and a consistent end-of-day rhythm that leads into clubs and wraparound. That structure tends to suit children who benefit from predictable transitions, while still allowing plenty of variety through trips, productions and clubs.

Wigmore’s 2024 Key Stage 2 outcomes are strong across the core indicators. The combined expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics sits at 87%, compared with 62% across England. Reading and mathematics expected standards are both 90%, and science expected is also 90%.

At the top end, the higher standard picture is especially striking. 48.33% achieved greater depth across reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. That gap usually indicates a high proportion of pupils secure the fundamentals early, then move quickly into extension and application rather than repeated consolidation.

On attainment scaling, reading is 109, mathematics 111, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 111. These are well above the national midpoint that scaled scores are designed around, and they align with the wider pattern in the core outcomes.

In FindMySchool’s rankings (a proprietary model built from official performance data), Wigmore ranks 396th in England for primary outcomes and 2nd locally within the Leominster area. In plain English, that places it well above the England average (top 10%).

Strong outcomes are rarely produced by a single tactic. Here, the evidence points to early foundations done properly, then built on with consistency. The most recent inspection commentary highlights secure attention to early number and language in the early years, followed by reliable consistency and repetition in phonics and number work in Reception. The practical implication is that fewer pupils fall behind in the basics, so Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 teachers can spend more time on depth and application rather than recovery.

Beyond the core, the curriculum is deliberately broadened through enrichment, including trips and residential experiences that are staged by age. Year 3 has an in-school sleepover, Year 4 attends an outdoor adventure at Oaker Wood, and Years 5 and 6 have a residential trip to a city. These experiences do not just add excitement, they build vocabulary, independence, and background knowledge that feed back into writing, humanities and personal development.

There are, however, clear development priorities. In the latest inspection narrative, the school is described as needing to strengthen how key knowledge is revisited and embedded in some foundation subjects, and to make handwriting teaching more consistent. For parents, that typically translates to a school that is doing many things well, while still refining coherence and consistency beyond English and mathematics.

For many families, the obvious next step is Wigmore School (the secondary phase within the same trust, located on the same site). The inspection commentary explicitly notes strong links with the next-door secondary school, supporting curriculum continuity and preparation for Key Stage 3.

Admissions documentation also makes clear that attendance at Wigmore Primary is a preferential factor in admissions to the secondary phase, which is an important strategic consideration if you are planning an all-through journey from early years to 16.

Even with that advantage, families should treat transition planning as a process rather than an assumption. Secondary admissions rules are separate, demand varies by cohort, and it remains sensible to review both schools’ current admissions arrangements when your child approaches the relevant year.

Wigmore Primary School’s planned admission number for Reception is 30. Priority is given, in order, to children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, looked-after and previously looked-after children, siblings, children attending Wigmore Nursery, children living in the school’s catchment, then other children. If the school is oversubscribed within a category, distance is used as the tie-break, calculated using the local authority’s routing methodology.

Demand indicators from the latest available admissions dataset show an oversubscribed picture at entry. For the most recent year shown, there were 20 applications and 10 offers for the main entry route recorded, equating to two applications per place.

For Reception entry in September 2026, Herefordshire’s online application window opened on 15 September 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026, with the national offer day on 16 April 2026.

Because distance and local demand can change year to year, families considering a move should use the FindMySchool Map Search to sanity-check practical proximity against recent allocation patterns, and treat any single year’s pattern as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Pastoral systems are visible in two places: safeguarding culture and day-to-day behaviour. The school’s safeguarding approach is described as effective in the most recent inspection documentation, and the wider narrative points to calm routines and clear expectations that pupils respond to well.

Support for younger children also comes through in how the nursery and Reception are positioned. The prospectus sets out a structured day and clear transitions, with early years routines explicitly designed to build listening, language and early number sense. That can be reassuring for families who want early structure without pushing formality too soon.

Where some parents may want to probe further is the consistency of provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The inspection commentary references mixed parental views in this area, even while describing systems as effective for identifying and meeting most needs. In practical terms, this is a prompt to ask detailed questions about communication, review cycles, and what “graduated response” support looks like for a child with your profile.

Wigmore’s enrichment is not left to chance. The published club programme includes both mainstream options and more distinctive choices that signal wider values.

The current club list for the primary phase includes Cricket Club, Athletics Club, Hockey Club, Darts Club, Gardening Club, Rounders Club, Orchestra (Band) Club, and Dance Club. At lunchtime there are structured groups including Young Voices Choir Club, Social Justice Club, Primary Stars Leadership Club, Eco Committee Club, Homework Club, TTRS Club, and Creative Writing Club.

Outdoor learning is another defined strand. The school’s weekly communication highlights Forest School activity for younger pupils, with named Forest School leaders and specific activities described as part of the programme. The implication for parents is that outdoor learning is not just occasional, it is resourced and planned.

Trips and residentials are also used to extend the curriculum. The staged approach, local trips early on, then residential experiences from Key Stage 2, supports confidence and independence and helps pupils build real-world context for humanities, writing and personal development.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

Families should still budget for the usual practical costs, uniform, optional trips, and (if used) wraparound care. Nursery session pricing is not included here; parents should check the school’s official information for early years charges and government-funded hours eligibility.

The published day structure is detailed. Breakfast provision runs from 08:00, the school day starts at 08:30, and the formal end of the day is 15:25. After-school clubs run after the school day, and wraparound provision is described as extending beyond the standard finish time through WACKY Club.

This is a rural setting, so travel tends to be car-led for many families, with local authority transport rules and eligibility shaping what is available for some pupils. Admissions materials also make clear that distance is calculated through the local authority methodology rather than straight-line measurement, which is worth bearing in mind if you are comparing addresses.

• Competition at entry. The most recent admissions snapshot shows two applications for every place recorded for the main entry route. If you are outside catchment, it is sensible to explore realistic alternatives early.

• Foundation-subject consistency. The latest inspection narrative identifies curriculum refinement needed in some foundation subjects so that key knowledge is revisited and embedded more systematically. Families who prioritise breadth should ask how this work is being sequenced and monitored.

• Handwriting approach. Inconsistent handwriting teaching is flagged as an improvement priority. If handwriting fluency is a particular need for your child, ask what teaching routines and interventions are in place by year group.

• SEND communication. Mixed parent views are referenced regarding provision for pupils with SEND. That does not mean support is weak, but it does mean families should explore the detail, including review frequency, intervention access, and how progress is communicated.

Wigmore Primary School offers an unusually strong academic profile for a small rural setting, and it backs that up with structured enrichment, clear routines, and practical advantages from being co-located with the secondary phase. It suits families who value strong core outcomes, a busy club and trip programme, and the option of an all-through pathway within the same trust. The main constraint is entry competition, particularly for families without nursery attendance, sibling links, or catchment proximity.