Woodlands Community College

Woodlands Community College is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all key areas. The school has made significant improvements since its last inspection, where it was rated as requiring improvement. Leaders and staff have instilled a positive culture, emphasizing respect, resilience, and responsibility, which has led to a supportive and caring environment. Pupils express pride in their school and feel confident in receiving a quality education that equips them for future success.

Strengths

• Pupils show respect for teachers and appreciate their individual attention.
• There is a strong focus on high expectations for pupil achievement.
• Behaviour management strategies have been effectively implemented.
• Pupils benefit from a wide array of extracurricular activities.
• The school offers a relevant PSHE curriculum that addresses gaps in knowledge.
• A highly effective careers programme helps pupils plan their future steps.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have lower attendance rates, impacting their achievement.
• Variability in teaching effectiveness has resulted in learning gaps for some students.

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 Woodlands Community College attended 85.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 35.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 11.1% of pupils at Woodlands Community College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Woodlands Community College had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 17.9% of pupils at Woodlands Community College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Woodlands Community College received £10,077 and spent £9,877 for each of its 907 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £930,000 (£1,025 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 Southampton · Southampton local authority: places and applications

Woodlands Community College is part of Reach Cooperative Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Moorlands Primary School Southampton
• Townhill Junior School Southampton
• Bitterne Park School Southampton
• Bitterne Manor Primary and Nursery School Southampton
• St Denys Primary School Southampton
• Redbridge Community School Southampton

What is Woodlands Community College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodlands Community College is Good, from an inspection in October 2022.

When was Woodlands Community College last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodlands Community College was last inspected in October 2022.

How many pupils does Woodlands Community College have?

Woodlands Community College has 907 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodlands Community College cover?

Woodlands Community College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Woodlands Community College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 31.6, and 16% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Woodlands Community College?

Woodlands Community College is at Minstead Avenue, Harefield, Southampton, Hampshire, SO18 5FW.