Elm Wood School

Elm Wood School is a good school where pupils are happy, feel safe and achieve well. Inspectors found strong relationships, positive attitudes and calm classrooms, with effective early years provision and a well-designed personal development offer. Reading and mathematics are particular strengths: phonics is taught consistently and mathematical fluency builds well over time. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively, and safeguarding is effective. Leadership is capable and staff feel well supported; parents are positive. This was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic, and it has seen significant curriculum change under a new headteacher while preparing to leave the Gipsy Hill Federation. The main area for improvement is the curriculum in a few subjects, where the most important knowledge has not been identified precisely enough. As a result, key content is not consistently prioritised or checked, and some pupils develop gaps in what they know and remember. Leaders should continue embedding the ambitious curriculum so all pupils build knowledge securely.

Strengths

• Pupils are enthusiastic, feel safe and have strong relationships with staff.
• High expectations support generally strong achievement across the curriculum.
• Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme accurately, with effective targeted interventions.
• Mathematics teaching builds fluency and knowledge well over time.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively to access the full curriculum.
• Pupils have very positive attitudes and classrooms are calm and orderly.
• Personal development is well thought out, including respect for diversity and leadership roles.
• Children settle quickly in early years and benefit from structured routines and learning.
• Senior leaders are capable, manage change well and consider staff workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum revisions are not fully embedded in a few subjects.
• In those subjects, important knowledge is not precisely identified, routinely prioritised or checked, leading to some gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Elm Wood School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at Elm Wood School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Elm Wood School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.0% of pupils at Elm Wood School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Elm Wood School received £9,134 and spent £8,919 for each of its 363 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £150,000 (-£414 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Elm Wood School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Elm Wood School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Elm Wood School last inspected by Ofsted?

Elm Wood School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Elm Wood School have?

Elm Wood School has 364 pupils on roll.

What age range does Elm Wood School cover?

Elm Wood School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Elm Wood School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Elm Wood School?

Elm Wood School is at Carnac Street, West Norwood, London, SE27 9RR.