Woodlands Academy of Learning

Woodlands Academy of Learning is a welcoming and supportive school that fosters a strong sense of community among its pupils. The school has high expectations, and students demonstrate good progress in their studies, particularly in reading and mathematics. Despite challenges such as staff absences affecting performance in last year's key stage 2 tests, the leadership team is committed to ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are included and valued. The school's ambitious and well-structured curriculum, along with a variety of extracurricular opportunities, enriches the pupils' educational experience and promotes their personal development.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community and inclusivity.
• Pupils feel safe and supported by attentive staff.
• Clear and high expectations for pupil performance.
• A wide range of extracurricular opportunities.
• Effective leadership in phonics and reading instruction.
• Ambitious and well-planned curriculum in most subjects.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum sequencing issues in some foundation subjects.
• Staff workload concerns impacting well-being.

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 Academy of Learning attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.8% 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 Woodlands Academy of Learning 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 Academy of Learning had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.2% 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, 14.6% of pupils at Woodlands Academy of Learning were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 2024–25 Woodlands Academy of Learning received £6,715 and spent £6,538 for each of its 446 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £444,000 (£996 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 Willenhall · Walsall local authority: places and applications

What is Woodlands Academy of Learning's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodlands Academy of Learning is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Woodlands Academy of Learning last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodlands Academy of Learning was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Woodlands Academy of Learning have?

Woodlands Academy of Learning has 446 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodlands Academy of Learning cover?

Woodlands Academy of Learning for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Woodlands Academy of Learning's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Woodlands Academy of Learning?

Woodlands Academy of Learning is at Bloxwich Road North, Short Heath, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV12 5PR.