Woodcot Primary School

Woodcot Primary School is a happy, safe and nurturing school that is recovering from a period of instability and is taking the right steps to improve. The headteacher and trust have raised expectations, strengthened the curriculum, behaviour and attendance, and staff are well supported through professional development. Pupils generally behave well, feel confident adults will deal with bullying, and benefit from a wide personal development offer including clubs, leadership roles and trips. Early years and reading are particular strengths, with children getting a strong start and phonics support helping pupils become fluent readers. Safeguarding is effective. However, the quality of education is not yet consistently good. In newer curriculum areas, teaching does not always check understanding or revisit prior learning well enough, so some pupils develop gaps and encounter tasks before they are ready. Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently adapted to meet their needs, which can limit their progress and confidence. These are the main priorities for improvement; behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision are all judged good. This was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first section 5 inspection.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and well supported by positive staff relationships
• Behaviour and attitudes are good, with pupils generally behaving well and trusting adults to tackle bullying
• Staff provide effective support for pupils who struggle to regulate emotions
• The curriculum is well sequenced and identifies important knowledge across subjects
• Early years provision gives children a strong start in reading, writing, number and cooperation
• Reading and phonics are prioritised, with effective support for pupils who fall behind
• Attendance is improving through effective partnership with parents
• Personal development is promoted well through safety, health, leadership roles and trips
• Governance and trust support provide effective challenge and support
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Staff professional development is prioritised with regard to workload and wellbeing

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education is inconsistent and not yet leading to strong pupil outcomes
• In newer curriculum subjects, pupils are sometimes introduced to new learning before they are ready
• Teachers do not routinely check understanding or address misconceptions accurately
• Pupils are not given enough opportunities to revisit prior learning in some subjects
• Some pupils develop gaps in knowledge and insecure foundations for new learning
• Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently adapted to meet their specific needs
• Some pupils with SEND struggle to build knowledge, skills and confidence
• Learning can be too difficult, leaving some pupils overwhelmed or unsure what to learn

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 Woodcot Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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, 4.6% of pupils at Woodcot Primary School 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 Woodcot Primary School had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.0% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Woodcot Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Woodcot Primary School received £10,721 and spent £7,914 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £24,000 (£121 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Gateway Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,688 and spending £8,366 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 Gosport · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

Woodcot Primary School is part of Gateway Multi Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Cams Hill School Fareham
• Cottage Grove Primary School and Nursery Southsea
• Milton Park Primary School Portsmouth
• Foundry Lane Primary School Southampton
• Oakfield Academy Southampton
• The Romsey School Romsey

What is Woodcot Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodcot Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Woodcot Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodcot Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Woodcot Primary School have?

Woodcot Primary School has 166 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodcot Primary School cover?

Woodcot Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Woodcot Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 42% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woodcot Primary School?

Woodcot Primary School is at Tukes Avenue, Bridgemary, Gosport, Hampshire, PO13 0SG.