Woodlands Academy

Woodlands Academy is a primary school in Grimsby, part of the Harbour Learning Trust, and has improved markedly since its previous inspection, when it was graded Requires Improvement. The inspection found the school performing strongly across the board, with outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, and good quality of education. Pupils are described as thriving: they are exceptionally well behaved, respectful and happy, attendance is high, and they achieve well over time. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced from the early years, reading is taught effectively from an early age, and pupils' writing is exceptional. SEND support is a strength, with staff skilled at identifying needs and helping pupils learn alongside their peers. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Personal development is a particular strength. A well-designed programme teaches pupils about religions, cultures, healthy relationships and safety, and pupils show a strong sense of fairness and tolerance. A rich extra-curricular offer, including careers engagement with local employers, prepares pupils very well for the next stage of education. The early years provision is equally strong, with skilled staff developing communication and language and children progressing extremely well. Leadership is highly effective: the trust provides extensive training that has made recent improvements rapid and sustainable, leaders are considerate of staff workload, and trustees and governors know the school well and provide effective support and challenge. The inspection was a graded inspection under section 5, and following the current framework the school was not given an overall effectiveness grade. The main area for improvement is assessment. While assessment is typically used well to identify gaps, in a small number of subjects it is less strong, so misconceptions are not addressed as well as they could be and pupils' knowledge is less secure. The school has been asked to work with staff to strengthen assessment practice so that misconceptions are tackled and learning is deepened. Beyond this, the report identifies no significant concerns.

Strengths

• Pupils are exceptionally well behaved, polite and courteous throughout the day
• Pupils are happy, safe and enjoy coming to school, with high attendance
• The curriculum is ambitious, engaging and well sequenced from the early years upwards
• Staff have very high expectations for all pupils, and pupils achieve well over time
• Reading is taught well from a very early age, with pupils reading fluently and independently
• Pupils' written work is of exceptional quality
• Staff are skilled at identifying and supporting pupils with SEND to learn alongside their peers
• The early years provision is outstanding, with a strong focus on communication and language
• Children in the early years are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage and progress extremely well
• Personal development is promoted extremely well through assemblies and PSHE lessons
• Pupils learn about tolerance, fairness and healthy relationships and act on these values
• A rich extra-curricular offer, including careers engagement with local employers, prepares pupils well for the future
• Leaders have improved attendance significantly through thorough data analysis and work with families
• The trust provides extensive training that has made improvements rapid and sustainable
• Leaders are supportive of staff and considerate of workload
• Trustees perform their statutory duties well and governors support and challenge leaders effectively
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is less strong in a small number of subjects, so misconceptions are not addressed as well as they could be and pupils' knowledge is less secure
• The school should work with staff to enhance the use of assessment so that misconceptions are addressed and learning is deepened

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 attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.5% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Woodlands 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 Woodlands Academy had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.5% 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, 21.1% of pupils at Woodlands Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 2024–25 Woodlands Academy received £7,825 and spent £7,634 for each of its 285 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £109,000 (£382 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Harbour Learning Trust, income was £7,685 and spending £7,718 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 Grimsby · North East Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Woodlands Academy is part of Harbour Learning Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Great Coates Primary School Grimsby
• William Barcroft Junior School Cleethorpes
• Healing Academy Grimsby
• Healing Primary Academy Grimsby
• Ermine Primary Academy Lincoln
• St Giles Academy Lincoln
• Hartsholme Academy Lincoln

What is Woodlands Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodlands Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Woodlands Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodlands Academy was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Woodlands Academy have?

Woodlands Academy has 313 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodlands Academy cover?

Woodlands Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woodlands Academy?

Woodlands Academy is at Pinewood Crescent, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN33 1RJ.