Woodcroft School, Loughton

Special
Other independent special school
Mixed
Ages 513

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Miss Claire Moore
Pupils:41 / 50 capacity
LA:Essex
Phone:02085081369
Address:Whitakers Way, Baldwins Hill, Loughton, IG10 1SQ
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 January 1965

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 7 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Strong Standard
Personal Development
Strong Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Inspected 10 February 2026View full report
URN:115425
UKPRN:10073564
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Epping Forest
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school excels at understanding each child's unique needs and tailoring support to help them succeed. Staff build strong, trusting relationships with pupils and families, creating calm learning environments where children feel valued and secure. Pupils develop vital life skills including communication, independence, and social skills through a broad curriculum combined with expert therapeutic support.

Key Strengths

  • Strong safeguarding culture with open communication and clear procedures that keep pupils safe
  • Excellent behaviour management with calm, purposeful classrooms tailored to pupils' sensory needs
  • Precise identification of pupils' needs with rapid removal of barriers to learning
  • Notable strength in pupils' communication skills and social development
  • Highly ambitious and personalised personal development programme covering safety, healthy relationships, and independence skills

Areas for Improvement

  • Staff sometimes do not identify gaps in pupils' basic knowledge in mathematics and English precisely enough to plan the most effective learning activities
  • Need for continued development of subject leaders to improve consistency in curriculum implementation

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, all legal requirements are met, and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Enterprise projects, school leadership roles, community visits, travel training

Woodcroft School is a special school that provides high-quality care and education for pupils with varied needs. Leaders have created a caring and ambitious school where pupils feel safe, valued, and make good progress from their individual starting points.

At a Glance

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Goldings Road (opp)
169m · 3 min walk
Baldwins Hill (opp)
268m · 4 min walk
Sedley Rise (adj)
458m · 7 min walk
Maple Gate (opp)
494m · 8 min walk
Hillyfields (W-bound)
532m · 9 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

82%

Available places

41 pupils

50 capacity

9 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Loughton

High pressure
New homes approved:721
Projected new pupils:130

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Loughton

Admissions Demand - Essex

Low demand0.96x oversubscription

Places available

17,576

Applications

16,788

Got 1st preference

83.8%

Got preferred school

97.1%

Secondary admissions across Essex (2025/26)

Inspection History(9)

10 February 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
21 March 2023
15 March 2022

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

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

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Linked Schools

Schools linked by geographic proximity

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.