Wymondham College, a state school, has experienced a period of instability in recent years, with several changes of headteacher/principal over a relatively short timeframe. This included a period of cost-saving when the deputy CEO of the Trust was appointed principal. As a result, the school has suffered with leadership continuity, which has been challenging at times.
Certain decisions and events caused concern for some parents. Changes to site policies and communications around behaviour and safeguarding issues, including no alcohol on site supported suggestions boarding staff were struggling, and including a large number of police visits to the school suggesting situations were out of control of the school, and then the introduction of random drug testing, which attracted wider attention with national media, and raised questions about how effectively issues were being managed.
The experience of the 2025 GCSE cohort was mixed. There were instances where examination arrangements did not run as smoothly as they should have, including pupils sitting incorrect papers with teachers blaming pupils rather than helping them prepare for the next paper. In some cases, families felt that communication and support could have been stronger ahead of subsequent exams.
The school does a good job of recognising individual pupil achievements, particularly through its public communications. However, there is less evidence of a cohesive whole-school experience. If you are looking for a school that works closely in partnership with parents, this is probably not be the right fit.
Overall, while there are positives, the challenges around leadership, communication, and parental engagement over the past few years have had a noticeable impact on the pupil and parent experience.
Senior staff are very good at rolling out the tick boxes for Ofsted, however it hasn’t met our expectations as parents, nor many others - allegedly one boarding house was forced to close in 2025, apparently due to the decline in pupil numbers.