Oakwood School, Walsall
Oakwood School is a special school for pupils aged 3 to 15 in Walsall, part of The Mercian Trust.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Oakwood School in detail
Oakwood School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Oakwood School are Elmwood School (2.3 miles); Chasetown Community School (3 miles, Good); Ryecroft School (3.3 miles); and Shenstone Lodge School (3.6 miles).
Elmwood SchoolChasetown Community SchoolRyecroft SchoolShenstone Lodge School
The trust
Oakwood School is one of 12 schools run by The Mercian Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
53.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 25.4% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (51%), Asian (21%) and Black (11%).
Almost every pupil at Oakwood School has an education, health and care plan (272 of 272 in 2026). The most common need among them is a severe learning difficulty.
Oakwood School provides for pupils with autism, multi-sensory impairment, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Walsall Rail Station, about 4 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Laburnum Road (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 117 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Walsall (297).
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
Oakwood School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in June 2025. Before that, as Oakwood School (URN 104275), it was rated Outstanding in March 2014.
At a Glance
53.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Autism, Multi-sensory, SLD +1
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Oakwood School
Before and after school care
Oakwood School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Walsall
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Oakwood School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Oakwood School is in Walsall; for families living there:
Apply to Walsall for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 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
181%
Over capacity
272 pupils
150 places
122 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Walsall
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Walsall
Across Walsall council
Places available
4,069
Applications
3,782
Got 1st preference
77.4%
Got preferred school
94.0%
All secondary applications across Walsall council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
272
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Oakwood School provides for pupils with autism, multi-sensory impairment, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
272
Total Pupils
202
Boys
70
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
44
Teachers
6.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,865
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at Oakwood School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published under the school's previous registration (URN 104275). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
10.0%
Overall absence
32.4%
Persistent absence
219
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Oakwood School
What is Oakwood School's Ofsted rating?
Oakwood School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in June 2025. Before that, as Oakwood School (URN 104275), it was rated Outstanding in March 2014.
What is the catchment area for Oakwood School?
No fixed boundary. When Oakwood School is oversubscribed, Walsall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Oakwood School?
Oakwood School has around 272 pupils on roll. 54% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Oakwood School have specialist SEN provision?
Oakwood School provides for pupils with autism, multi-sensory impairment, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
How do I apply to Oakwood School?
Apply through Walsall's coordinated admissions process, naming Oakwood School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Oakwood School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Oakwood School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Oakwood School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Oakwood School?
Oakwood School is at Druids Walk, Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 9JS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)