Dulwich Wood Primary School, London

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~540m)Possible (~771m)Unlikely (~1.0km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Ms Helen Rowe
Pupils:417 / 420 capacity
LA:Southwark
Phone:02086705470
Address:Bowen Drive, Kingswood Estate, London, SE21 8NS
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:100801
UKPRN:10079725
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Dulwich and West Norwood
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Dulwich Wood Primary School excels at creating a caring, inclusive community where every child feels valued and happy. The school achieves above-average results in reading, writing and mathematics, with disadvantaged pupils performing exceptionally well. The inspirational leadership and strong behaviour management create an excellent climate for learning where pupils are friendly, confident and well-prepared for life in modern Britain.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent behaviour management with a highly effective policy that motivates pupils through creative rewards
  • Strong progress in writing and mathematics, particularly rapid progress in key stage 1 writing
  • Inspirational leadership that creates a caring, fun school community where pupils feel valued and proud
  • Disadvantaged pupils achieving better than all pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics
  • Effective safeguarding with staff who are highly vigilant and work swiftly with external agencies

Areas for Improvement

  • Most able pupils not always challenged enough, particularly in mathematics and reading with texts that lack complexity
  • Some teachers lack subject knowledge and confidence in teaching phonics
  • Year 1 phonics screening results declined and need improvement
  • Reading resources for least able readers need review to help them catch up with classmates
  • Attendance remains slightly below national average despite excellent school efforts

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective, with leaders and staff receiving appropriate training and being highly vigilant in reporting concerns swiftly to ensure appropriate action is taken.

Dulwich Wood Primary School continues to be good, with inspirational leadership that has maintained education quality since the last inspection in 2012. Pupils leave Year 6 with standards above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics, with disadvantaged pupils outperforming national averages.

At a Glance

26.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+4ppMaths+10ppWriting+13pp

Reading has improved from 79% to 83%. Maths has improved from 73% to 83%. Writing has improved from 63% to 76%.

Class Sizes

29.1

Avg class size

29.8

Infant (KS1)

28.6

KS2

14

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Sydenham Hill (Entrance)
136m · 2 min walk
Sydenham Hill Rail Station
196m · 3 min walk
Gipsy Hill Rail Station
834m · 14 min walk

Bus Stops

Kingswood Drive / College Road (Stop D)
334m · 5 min walk
Gipsy Hill (Stop D)
433m · 7 min walk
South Croxted Road (Stop WL)
443m · 7 min walk
Church Approach (Stop WN)
445m · 7 min walk
Bowen Drive (Stop C)
455m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

99%

Near capacity

417 pupils

420 capacity

3 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - London

Low pressure
New homes approved:104,823
Projected new pupils:26,206

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for London

Admissions Demand - Southwark

Low demand0.68x oversubscription

Places available

3,264

Applications

2,205

Got 1st preference

84.7%

Got preferred school

98.6%

Primary admissions across Southwark (2025/26)

Inspection History(107)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.20262%

Overall absence

14.40217%

Persistent absence

368

Enrolments

Authorised3.68466%
Unauthorised1.51796%
Persistent (10%+)14.40217%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.87769%
18/19
3.65703%
20/21
5.4524%
21/22
5.52898%
22/23
5.26418%
23/24
5.20262%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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