Woodland Middle School Academy

Woodland Middle School Academy continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school. Pupils are happy, confident, and feel safe, actively engaging in their learning and demonstrating positive behavior. The school fosters a strong sense of community through its values-based approach, effectively supporting students, including those with special educational needs. Teachers are knowledgeable and set high expectations, while students benefit from a range of enriching extracurricular activities and trips that enhance their education.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and attend well.
• Strong community values that promote respect and kindness.
• High-quality clubs and societies support student engagement.
• Teachers are knowledgeable and provide good support to students.
• Effective strategies for supporting pupils with SEND.
• Positive relationships between teachers and pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Subject leaders lack sufficient guidance to evaluate teaching effectively.
• Curriculum does not offer enough chances for applying English skills across subjects.

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 Middle School Academy attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 13.8% 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, 2.5% of pupils at Woodland Middle School Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Middle School Academy had 19.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.0% 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, 6.2% of pupils at Woodland Middle School Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.8% 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 2024–25 Woodland Middle School Academy received £7,509 and spent £7,307 for each of its 670 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,029,000 (£1,536 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bedford · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Woodland Middle School Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodland Middle School Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Woodland Middle School Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodland Middle School Academy was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Woodland Middle School Academy have?

Woodland Middle School Academy has 645 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodland Middle School Academy cover?

Woodland Middle School Academy for pupils aged 9 to 13.

What are Woodland Middle School Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 39% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woodland Middle School Academy?

Woodland Middle School Academy is at Malham Close, Flitwick, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 1NP.