Woodland Community Primary School, Heywood
Woodland Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Heywood. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 8 schools in Heywood with published results, and 12,528th of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Rochdale (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Woodland Community Primary School in detail
Woodland Community Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are all very proud of our large, inclusive school which serves a very supportive and close knit community in West Heywood. It has been so exciting to see the school expanding into what is now a three form entry school throughout."
The school runs a breakfast club, from £2.20 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at Woodland Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Rochdale and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 62% in reading and 55% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Woodland Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 39 families put Woodland Community Primary School as their first choice and 104 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 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 Woodland Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Woodland Community Primary School are St Margaret's Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles); St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary Academy (0.4 miles, 75% reading, 81% maths); Harwood Park Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 69% reading, 59% maths); and Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 69% reading, 55% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Woodland Community Primary School.
St Margaret's Church of England Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary AcademyHarwood Park Primary SchoolOur Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
What parents say
34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Woodland Community Primary School (as of September 2025): 71% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).
Who goes there
45.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 147 pupils (26.1%) received SEN support and 25 (4.4%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Heywood (East Lancashire Railway), about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Unity Street (near), 170 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Woodland Community Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Woodland Community Primary School are Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College (0.4 miles) and Newhouse Academy (0.9 miles).
Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeNewhouse Academy
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); 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Woodland Community Primary School provides a welcoming, supportive environment where all pupils feel happy and valued. The school has made impressive improvements to how it teaches reading, writing and maths, with pupils now making rapid progress. The school excels at including all learners, especially those with additional needs or who join mid-year, ensuring every child gets what they need to succeed.
Key Strengths
- Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with quick identification of needs and individualised learning plans
- Well-trained staff delivering an effective phonics programme with timely support for struggling readers
- Rapid curriculum improvements in English and mathematics, with pupils making fast progress in learning
- High expectations for behaviour and positive relationships between pupils and staff
- Wide range of enrichment opportunities and pupil leadership roles that build confidence and responsibility
Areas for Improvement
- Some older pupils have gaps in knowledge, particularly spelling, because they missed earlier curriculum improvements
- Assessment systems in non-core subjects don't quickly identify gaps in pupils' knowledge, meaning some pupils lack secure foundations for new learning
- Published achievement data doesn't yet reflect the school's recent improvements, with 2024 results below national average in reading and maths
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating a safe environment where pupils feel well cared for and supported.
Extracurricular Activities
Singing, archery, art, forest learning, museum visits, aquarium visits, dodgeball competitions, handball competitions
Woodland Community Primary School has maintained good standards despite recent difficulties and has successfully overhauled its curriculum to support pupil achievement. The school is a warm, supportive community where pupils enjoy learning and develop both academically and socially.
At a Glance
45.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
34 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 remained stable at around 61% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 55% to 63% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 78% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.7
Avg class size
26.8
Infant (KS1)
26.7
KS2
18
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Woodland Community Primary School
Summer Fair Wednesday 17th June 2026
17 Jun 2026
Summer Fair - Wednesday 17th June 2026
17 Jun 2026
Easter Bonnet Parade
2 Apr 2026
Neurodiversity Hub Workshop
2 Apr 2026
How to access Neurodiversity
2 Apr 2026
Sleep Support
2 Apr 2026
From Woodland Community Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Woodland Community Primary School
Term dates
Woodland Community Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Rochdale. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Thursday 3 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Woodland Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Woodland Community Primary School is in Rochdale; for families living there:
- Rochdale's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy
- How to apply: Apply for school travel expenses
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 19
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 13 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 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 Woodland Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Woodland Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Woodland Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Woodland Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Woodland Community Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Rochdale, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Woodland Community Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Rochdale 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
90%
Near capacity
569 pupils
630 places
61 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Heywood
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Heywood
Across Rochdale council
Places available
3,242
Applications
2,831
Got 1st preference
89.2%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across Rochdale council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
147
SEN Support
25
EHC Plans
30.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
564
Total Pupils
299
Boys
265
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
32
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,726
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,840
Per pupil
£3809k
Total funding
£376k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
18.3%
Persistent absence
529
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
Woodland Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Woodland Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Woodland Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Woodland Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 61% reached the expected standard in reading and 63% did so in maths.
What is Woodland Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Woodland Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Woodland Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Woodland Community Primary School is oversubscribed, Rochdale allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Woodland Community Primary School?
Woodland Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Woodland Community Primary School?
Classes at Woodland Community Primary School average 26.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Woodland Community Primary School?
Woodland Community Primary School has around 564 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Woodland Community Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at Woodland Community Primary School in 2024/25. 18.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Woodland Community Primary School?
Apply through Rochdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Woodland Community 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.
What are Woodland Community Primary School's term dates?
Woodland Community Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Rochdale. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Thursday 3 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Woodland Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 13 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Woodland Community Primary School?
Woodland Community Primary School is at Regent Street, Heywood, Lancashire, OL10 3BX.
Sources: Rochdale term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)