Wood Lane Primary School

Wood Lane Primary School is a small primary school that has improved since its previous inspection. Pupils feel safe, behave well and are proud of their school; relationships are respectful, attendance has improved and safeguarding is effective. The early years provision is a clear strength, and reading is prioritised effectively, with strong phonics teaching and prompt support for pupils who fall behind. Leadership, personal development and behaviour are also judged good, with a broad range of clubs, trips and pupil leadership roles contributing to pupils’ confidence and responsibility. The main area for improvement is the quality of education. Curriculum changes have clarified what pupils should learn and in what order, but teaching is not yet consistently strong across subjects. In some subjects, subject knowledge is not secure enough, activities do not always match pupils’ needs, and assessment is not used consistently to spot misconceptions or close gaps quickly. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they are capable of. Support for pupils with SEND has been strengthened through better identification and involvement of outside agencies, but practice is not applied consistently. Teaching is not always adapted effectively, so some pupils with SEND do not access the curriculum as well as they could. The report notes that, under the current inspection framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well in a calm, orderly environment rooted in mutual respect
• Effective phonics teaching helps most pupils read fluently and meet the expected standard by the end of Year 1
• Early years provision gives children a nurturing start and prepares most well for the next stage
• Attendance and punctuality have improved through effective monitoring
• Broad trips and clubs widen pupils’ interests and experiences
• Pupils develop responsibility through school parliament and friendship buddy roles
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• SEND identification is quick and external agencies are used well
• Staff appreciate the support given for their wellbeing and workload
• Governors know the school’s strengths and priorities and provide effective challenge and support

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum teaching varies across subjects, and subject knowledge is not always secure
• Learning activities are not always well matched to pupils’ needs, limiting progress
• Assessment is not used consistently to identify misconceptions and errors
• Some pupils make repeated mistakes because gaps in learning are not addressed quickly enough
• Support for pupils with SEND is not applied consistently across the school
• Teaching is not always adapted effectively to meet the needs of pupils with SEND

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 Wood Lane Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Wood Lane 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 Wood Lane Primary School had 12.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 33.3% of pupils at Wood Lane Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Wood Lane Primary School received £12,733 and spent £15,715 for each of its 48 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £239,000 (-£4,979 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 Stoke-On-Trent · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Wood Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wood Lane Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Wood Lane Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wood Lane Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Wood Lane Primary School have?

Wood Lane Primary School has 48 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wood Lane Primary School cover?

Wood Lane Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 36% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wood Lane Primary School?

Wood Lane Primary School is at Wood Lane, Bignall End, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 8PH.