Woodland Community Primary School

Woodlands Community Primary School is currently rated as requiring improvement in its overall effectiveness, primarily due to the need for stronger educational outcomes. While pupils demonstrate good behavior and a strong sense of community, a significant number are not achieving their full potential due to past deficiencies in the curriculum. Recent efforts to enhance curriculum design have been recognized, but the impact of these changes is not yet consistent across all subjects. Particularly in Year 6, many pupils fell short of expected standards in national assessments in 2023. The early years provision, however, has shown marked improvement, helping children to achieve well and prepare effectively for Year 1.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit pride and happiness in being part of the school community.
• The school has raised expectations for pupil achievement.
• Children in early years achieve well due to a well-structured curriculum.
• Pupils engage in community service and understand British values.
• A variety of extracurricular clubs support personal development.
• Governors actively support and challenge the school's improvement efforts.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge due to previous curriculum weaknesses.
• Teachers inconsistently use assessment strategies to address learning gaps.
• Not all pupils have enough opportunities to reinforce and consolidate their learning.
• Pupils have gaps in knowledge of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

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 Woodland Community Primary School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.4% 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 Woodland Community 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 Community Primary School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.5% 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, 18.5% of pupils at Woodland Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Community Primary School received £8,171 and spent £8,030 for each of its 335 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £197,000 (£589 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 Skelmersdale · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Woodland Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodland Community Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Woodland Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodland Community Primary School was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Woodland Community Primary School have?

Woodland Community Primary School has 335 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodland Community Primary School cover?

Woodland Community Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woodland Community Primary School?

Woodland Community Primary School is at Heathgate, Birch Green, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 6QH.