Woodlands Primary School

Woodlands Primary School is a happy, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave exceptionally well and develop strong personal and social skills. Safeguarding standards are met, and leaders have created a culture where all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, are supported to succeed. The school's provision for pupils with SEND, including its internal The Orchard unit, is a notable strength, and the personal development programme is highly effective in preparing pupils for life beyond school. Outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 have improved year-on-year and are now close to or above national averages, though the school remains in the early stages of its improvement journey and some areas, such as phonics and the multiplication tables check, have required prompt action.

Strengths

• Inclusive culture where all pupils feel welcome and supported to succeed
• Strong and meticulously monitored SEND provision, including the bespoke The Orchard curriculum
• Highly effective personal development programme that prepares pupils well for adulthood
• Very high standards of behaviour and warm, respectful relationships across the school
• Ambitious curriculum with clear sequencing and a focus on key vocabulary
• Improving Year 6 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics, now close to or above national averages
• Effective use of pupil premium funding to improve disadvantaged pupils' achievement and attendance
• Strong leadership and governance with high staff morale and a clear strategic vision
• Robust safeguarding culture where concerns are actively identified and managed
• Effective early years provision that ensures children progress well and are ready for Year 1

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains too high, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Assessment is not always used effectively to adapt teaching in the moment, which can slow pupils' learning
• Misconceptions are not consistently addressed, and opportunities to deepen learning are sometimes overlooked
• Achievement in Year 1 phonics screening and Year 4 multiplication tables check remains below national averages, though leaders are addressing this

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 Primary School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.5% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Woodlands 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 Woodlands Primary School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 19.3% of pupils at Woodlands Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Woodlands Primary School received £7,831 and spent £8,320 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £102,000 (£477 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 Borehamwood · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Woodlands Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodlands Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Woodlands Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodlands Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Woodlands Primary School have?

Woodlands Primary School has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodlands Primary School cover?

Woodlands Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Woodlands Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woodlands Primary School?

Woodlands Primary School is at Alban Crescent, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 5JF.