Woodland Primary School

Woodland Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspected areas. The school has a strong and nurturing environment where students thrive, benefitting from robust relationships among staff, pupils, and parents. High expectations are set for pupils, leading to effective engagement and positive learning outcomes. The school's ambitious curriculum is well-sequenced, accommodating mixed-age classes effectively, and fostering pupils' academic success and personal development. However, it is important to note that this is the school's first inspection in over a decade since it was last deemed 'Outstanding'. This long gap may have affected certain aspects of the school's performance as they adapt to more recent frameworks and expectations.

Strengths

• Strong and trusting relationships among staff, pupils, and parents.
• Highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Encouragement of precise vocabulary use and enthusiastic engagement in learning.
• Well-developed early years provision contributing to good progress.
• Effective governance and support for school improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject leaders lack a secure understanding of pupil performance in their areas.
• In early years, some play-based activities lack clear learning intentions.

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 2023–24 pupils at Woodland Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.5%). 9.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 14.6%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Woodland Primary 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 Woodland Primary School had 11.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.4% 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, 8.0% of pupils at Woodland Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Woodland Primary School received £15,022 and spent £16,132 for each of its 25 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £78,000 (£3,139 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

All schools in Bishop Auckland · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is Woodland Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodland Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Woodland Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodland Primary School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Woodland Primary School have?

Woodland Primary School has 25 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodland Primary School cover?

Woodland Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Woodland Primary School?

Woodland Primary School is at Woodland, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL13 5RF.