Woodhey High School

Woodhey High School has been transformed since its previous inspection, with pupils and staff reporting a clear change in culture and a strong sense of community. The school’s core values of respect and excellence are visible in calm, polite behaviour, positive relationships and pupils’ pride in their school. High expectations and a well-structured curriculum help pupils achieve well, and safeguarding is effective. Behaviour, attitudes and personal development are particular strengths. Pupils show exceptional engagement in lessons, attendance and manners are commendable, and the personal development offer is comprehensive, including strong careers provision, enrichment and leadership opportunities. The specially resourced provision for pupils with autism is well integrated, and reading support helps pupils become fluent readers. The school still has some areas to improve. Assessment practice is variable in a small number of subjects, so gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified or addressed quickly and some pupils do not get enough chances to apply new knowledge. Information for teachers about supporting pupils with SEND is sometimes not specific enough, meaning some pupils with SEND are not supported consistently and do not progress as well as they should. The school is part of Shaw Education Trust and has seen significant leadership changes since the last inspection.

Strengths

• A transformed culture with pupils proud to belong to a community school
• Strong, supportive relationships between pupils and staff
• Core values of respect and excellence shape behaviour, learning and personal development
• Pupils behave well, move calmly and wear uniform smartly
• High expectations and a well-designed, clearly sequenced curriculum
• Teachers demonstrate strong subject expertise and explain content clearly
• Effective reading support helps struggling pupils become confident, fluent readers
• Behaviour, attendance and manners are commendable, with exceptional engagement in lessons
• Comprehensive personal development programme covering real-life issues
• Exemplary careers programme with diverse opportunities and employer visits
• SEND specially resourced provision is well supported and fully integrated
• Leadership collaboration, staff support and professional development are effective
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Enrichment and the pledge system build confidence, talents and leadership

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment strategies vary in impact across a small number of subjects
• Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are sometimes not identified or addressed quickly enough
• Some pupils do not get enough opportunities to apply new knowledge
• Information for teachers on supporting pupils with SEND sometimes lacks specificity
• Some pupils with SEND are not supported consistently well
• Some pupils with SEND do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should

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 Woodhey High School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 14.2% 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, 5.2% of pupils at Woodhey High School 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 Woodhey High School had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 14.7% of pupils at Woodhey High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 14 pupils.

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 Woodhey High School received £8,323 and spent £8,626 for each of its 1,103 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £140,000 (£127 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of The Shaw Education Trust, income was £11,108 and spending £10,954 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 Bury · Bury local authority: places and applications

Woodhey High School is part of The Shaw Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Tottington High School Bury
• Unsworth Academy Bury
• Brookhaven School Bury
• The Westleigh School Leigh
• Brookfields School Widnes
• Hallwood Park Primary School and Nursery Runcorn
• The Russett School Northwich
• Kidsgrove Secondary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Kidsgrove Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Endon High School Stoke-On-Trent

What is Woodhey High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodhey High School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Woodhey High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodhey High School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Woodhey High School have?

Woodhey High School has 1,111 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodhey High School cover?

Woodhey High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Woodhey High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.8, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Woodhey High School?

Woodhey High School is at Bolton Road West, Ramsbottom, Bury, Lancashire, BL0 9QZ.