Aurora Woodlands School, Lancashire
Aurora Woodlands School is a special school for pupils aged 10 to 19 in Lancashire. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Aurora Woodlands School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Aurora Woodlands School are Crosshill Special School (1.7 miles, Good); Lower Pastures (2.5 miles, Good); Eden School (3.2 miles, Good); and Newfield School (4 miles, Requires improvement).
Crosshill Special SchoolLower PasturesEden SchoolNewfield School
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Aurora Woodlands School (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (75%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Aurora Woodlands School has an education, health and care plan (64 of 64 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Darwen Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Queens Road (by), 370 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 47 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Blackburn with Darwen (289).
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at transforming pupils' attitudes to learning through patient, understanding support and clear expectations. It is particularly strong at preparing young people for adult life through practical work experience, careers guidance, and life skills learning. The school's calming environment and outdoor spaces help pupils develop emotional resilience and manage their wellbeing.
Key Strengths
- Excellent support for pupils' mental and physical wellbeing, with high-quality activities and use of outdoor woodland area
- Ambitious, well-organised curriculum that helps pupils catch up on missed learning and develop new knowledge
- Teachers skilled at identifying and meeting individual SEND needs and checking pupils have grasped prior learning
- Exceptional preparation for life after school with regular careers advice, work experience and employability skills
- Clear routines and high expectations that lead to improved behaviour and positive pupil-staff relationships
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils' handwriting and written work quality is weak because foundational writing skills are not taught consistently
- Some teachers lack subject expertise in specialist areas, which limits how well pupils are prepared for their next stage of education
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with secure oversight from leadership and robust policies in place.
Extracurricular Activities
Growing food and preparing meals, car washing, creating a pond and wildlife area, working with local gardening groups, work experience placements, outdoor woodland area (Highgrove) activities
Aurora Woodlands School is a calm and welcoming independent special school that helps pupils with a range of needs who have experienced unsettled education. The school is rated Good overall, with Outstanding personal development provision.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Aurora Woodlands School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Blackburn with Darwen is 24 (the median across 89 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
64 pupils
64 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Lancashire
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Lancashire
Across Blackburn with Darwen council
Places available
2,284
Applications
2,116
Got 1st preference
78.9%
Got preferred school
94.1%
All secondary applications across Blackburn with Darwen council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
64
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Aurora Woodlands School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
64
Total Pupils
55
Boys
9
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Aurora Woodlands School
What are GCSE results like at Aurora Woodlands School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Aurora Woodlands School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Aurora Woodlands School's Ofsted rating?
Aurora Woodlands School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2025.
Does Aurora Woodlands School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in July 2025, Aurora Woodlands School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Aurora Woodlands School?
Aurora Woodlands School has around 64 pupils on roll.
Does Aurora Woodlands School have specialist SEN provision?
Aurora Woodlands School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Aurora Woodlands School?
Aurora Woodlands School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Aurora Woodlands School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Blackburn with Darwen is 24 (the median across 89 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Aurora Woodlands School?
Aurora Woodlands School is at Woodlands, Holly Tree Close, Lancashire, Lancashire, BB3 2NG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)