Woodside Academy

Woodside Academy is a happy, kind and inclusive primary school where pupils and adults value warm relationships and a strong sense of respect and equality. Inspectors found the school performing well across the judged areas, with effective safeguarding, good behaviour, well-planned personal development and a clear shared ambition for all pupils, including those with SEND, to be prepared for their next steps. The school has revised its English/reading and mathematics curriculums, and current pupils are achieving well; early reading and early years provision are particular strengths. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the school is part of Leading Learners Trust, which has provided strong support. Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas to strengthen, and staff feel well supported. Pupils benefit from a broad range of clubs, trips and leadership roles, and they behave well. However, some learning tasks do not closely match intended outcomes, key concepts are not revisited consistently, and assessment does not precisely check what pupils have secured, so some pupils, including those with SEND, do not remember as much as they could. Historical outcomes have been variable, particularly for some pupils with SEND, and some parents have previously raised concerns. Recent improvements, including in SEND provision, need to become firmly embedded, and persistent absence remains an issue for some pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils and adults value a happy, kind and inclusive school community.
• Warm relationships reflect the school’s values of respect, high expectations and resilience.
• Pupils are courteous, have a strong sense of equality and understand how to keep themselves safe.
• The school has a shared ambition for all pupils, including those with SEND, to be prepared for their next steps.
• Revised English/reading and mathematics curriculums are having a positive impact on current pupils’ achievement.
• Phonics is taught effectively, and pupils develop a clear love of reading.
• Early years provision prioritises reading, writing, speaking and number skills, with well-established routines.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and around school, and those needing extra behaviour support are helped effectively.
• Personal development is well planned through trips, clubs and leadership roles.
• The trust provides strong support, and leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas to strengthen.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not always have opportunities to revisit key concepts over time.
• Some classroom tasks do not match the intended learning closely enough.
• Assessment does not precisely identify when pupils are not securing key concepts.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not remember as much of the taught curriculum as they could.
• Historical outcomes have been variable, including for pupils with SEND, and some parents have expressed concern.
• Provision for some pupils with SEND has historically not been strong and recent improvements need to become firmly embedded.
• Some pupils are frequently absent and miss valuable learning.

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 Woodside Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.0% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Woodside Academy 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 Woodside Academy had 24.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 36.2% 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, 27.3% of pupils at Woodside Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 Woodside Academy received £7,811 and spent £8,413 for each of its 372 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £316,000 (£849 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Leading Learners Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,741 and spending £8,045 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 Bradford · Bradford local authority: places and applications

Woodside Academy is part of Leading Learners Multi Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Reevy Hill Primary School Bradford
• Carrwood Primary School Bradford
• Worth Valley Primary School Keighley
• Tyldesley Primary School Manchester
• Mendell Primary School Wirral
• Manor Primary School Wirral
• Chapelhill Primary School Wirral
• Overchurch Junior School Wirral
• Brookdale Primary School Wirral

What is Woodside Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodside Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Woodside Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodside Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Woodside Academy have?

Woodside Academy has 362 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodside Academy cover?

Woodside Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Woodside Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woodside Academy?

Woodside Academy is at Fenwick Drive, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD6 2PG.