Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School, CHORLEY
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chorley. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 40 schools in CHORLEY with published results, and 2,457th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 91% of Year 6 pupils at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 81% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 76 named it as one of their preferences, for 35 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School are Clayton-le-Woods Manor Road Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 89% reading, 81% maths); Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 53% reading, 68% maths); Trinity Church of England/Methodist Primary School, Buckshaw Village (1 mile, Good, 78% reading, 75% maths); and St Bede's Catholic Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 85% reading, 77% maths).
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Clayton-le-Woods Manor Road Primary SchoolClayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary SchoolTrinity Church of England/Methodist Primary School, Buckshaw VillageSt Bede's Catholic Primary School
What parents say
46 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 88% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (85%).
Who goes there
2.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Buckshaw Parkway Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Johns Church (opposite), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 55 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Whittle-le-Woods is a genuinely caring school where children thrive both academically and personally. Reading is a real strength, with excellent phonics teaching from Nursery onwards that helps pupils become confident, fluent readers. Your child will develop resilience, kindness and leadership skills alongside strong friendships in a calm, inclusive community.
Key Strengths
- Pupils develop excellent personal qualities including resilience, independence, and strong friendships with impressive leadership roles throughout the school
- High-quality reading provision with skilled phonics teaching means most pupils are competent readers by Year 6
- Well-structured curriculum with clear progression from Nursery to Year 6, helping pupils make sense of new information
- Strong safeguarding arrangements and positive relationships between pupils and staff create a calm, well-ordered atmosphere
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not always consistently use information about pupils with SEND to support their learning effectively, sometimes leading to unnecessary repetition of learning
- Some pupils with SEND do not have their specific misconceptions and needs addressed as well as they could be
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Before- and after-school club, mental well-being ambassadors, eco-councillors
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School is a nurturing and welcoming community where pupils enjoy learning and develop resilience from an early age. The school has a well-embedded curriculum and strong focus on reading, with pupils typically achieving well across subjects.
At a Glance
2.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
46 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 81% to 91% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.6
Avg class size
34.5
KS2
7
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School
Term dates
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 7 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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
Your chances of a place at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lancashire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
241 pupils
245 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - CHORLEY
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for CHORLEY
Across Lancashire council
Places available
15,442
Applications
12,122
Got 1st preference
91.3%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
41
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
22.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
240
Total Pupils
117
Boys
123
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
21.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,238
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,969
Per pupil
£1285k
Total funding
£15k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.0%
Overall absence
3.8%
Persistent absence
209
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 91% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% did so in maths.
What is Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School average 30.6 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School has around 240 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
3% of sessions were missed at Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 3.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 7 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?
Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School is at Preston Road, Whittle-le-Woods, CHORLEY, Lancashire, PR6 7PS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)