Woodcroft Academy, Leek
Woodcroft Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Leek, part of St Bart's Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade. It was 81% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Woodcroft Academy in detail
Woodcroft Academy in its own words
In its own words: "At Woodcroft Academy the children are offered an exciting, fun and creative curriculum with emphasis placed on the fundamental basic skills of learning. In addition to gaining language, mathematical and scientific skills your child will also be encouraged to build confidence, develop self-reliance, learn to make decisions and develop the ability to articulate feelings and ideas."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Woodcroft Academy
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Woodcroft Academy as their first choice and 53 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Woodcroft Academy are Westwood First School (0.4 miles, Good); St Mary's Catholic Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 93% reading, 100% maths); All Saints CofE First School (0.9 miles, Good); and Leek First School (1.3 miles, Good).
Westwood First SchoolSt Mary's Catholic AcademyAll Saints CofE First SchoolLeek First School
The trust
Woodcroft Academy is one of 23 schools run by St Bart's Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
9.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 11 pupils (8%) received SEN support and 2 (1.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Cheddleton (Churnet Valley Railway), about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School Close (adjacent), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Woodcroft Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Woodcroft Academy issued 1 suspension, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Woodcroft Academy are St Edward's Church of England Academy (0.3 miles), Westwood College (0.5 miles), Leek High School (1.5 miles) and Churnet View Middle School (1.6 miles).
St Edward's Church of England AcademyWestwood CollegeLeek High SchoolChurnet View Middle School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from March 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
9.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
19.7
Avg class size
22.7
Infant (KS1)
23.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Woodcroft Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Woodcroft Academy.
- Woodcroft Academy Care ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Woodcroft Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Woodcroft Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Woodcroft Academy is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 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 Woodcroft Academy
Will you get a place at Woodcroft Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Woodcroft Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Woodcroft Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Woodcroft Academy.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Woodcroft Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Woodcroft Academy for 2020 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire 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
81%
Available places
121 pupils
150 places
29 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leek
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leek
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
10,768
Applications
8,344
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
9.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
138
Total Pupils
68
Boys
70
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
23.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,232
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,428
Per pupil
£732k
Total funding
£24k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.7%
Overall absence
1.0%
Persistent absence
102
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Woodcroft Academy
What is Woodcroft Academy's Ofsted rating?
Woodcroft Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Woodcroft Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Woodcroft Academy is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Woodcroft Academy?
Woodcroft Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 81% of its 150 places.
How big are the classes at Woodcroft Academy?
Classes at Woodcroft Academy average 19.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Woodcroft Academy?
Woodcroft Academy has around 138 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Woodcroft Academy?
2.7% of sessions were missed at Woodcroft Academy in 2024/25. 1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Woodcroft Academy?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Woodcroft Academy 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.
Does Woodcroft Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Woodcroft Academy Care Club (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Woodcroft Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Woodcroft Academy?
Woodcroft Academy is at Wallbridge Drive, Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 8JG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)