Woodland Middle School Academy, Bedford
Woodland Middle School Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 9 to 13 in Bedford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 36th-highest of the 53 schools in Bedford with published results, and 11,772nd of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Capacity
- 94% full
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Woodland Middle School Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Woodland Middle School Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 66% in Central Bedfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (71% in reading, 60% in maths).
Getting a place at Woodland Middle School Academy
Across Central Bedfordshire, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 96% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Central Bedfordshire lodged 144 appeals against secondary school offers; 129 reached a hearing and 35 succeeded (27.1% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Woodland Middle School Academy are Redborne Upper School and Community College (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.3); Alameda Middle School (1.7 miles, Good); Harlington Upper School (2.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.1); and Parkfields Middle School (3.9 miles, Good).
Redborne Upper School and Community CollegeAlameda Middle SchoolHarlington Upper SchoolParkfields Middle School
Who goes there
5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (85%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 40 pupils (6.2%) received SEN support and 50 (7.8%) 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 railway station is Flitwick Rail Station, about 430 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Woodland Middle School (outside), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Woodland Middle School Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Woodland Middle School Academy issued 31 suspensions, 4.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Woodland Middle School Academy are Templefield Lower School (under 0.1 miles), Flitwick Lower School (0.3 miles), Kingsmoor Lower School (0.6 miles) and Westoning Lower School (1.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Templefield Lower SchoolFlitwick Lower SchoolKingsmoor Lower SchoolWestoning Lower School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 2017, 9 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 May 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
18.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.30%
Exclusion rate
31
Suspensions
4.63%
Suspension rate
17 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 670 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Woodland Middle School Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Woodland Middle School Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Woodland Middle School Academy is in Central Bedfordshire; for families living there:
- Central Bedfordshire's school travel policy: Apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 11 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
2 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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 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
Will you get a place at Woodland Middle School Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Woodland Middle School Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Woodland Middle School Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Woodland Middle School Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- How many families in Central Bedfordshire 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
94%
Near capacity
674 pupils
720 places
46 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bedford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bedford
Across Central Bedfordshire council
Places available
1,710
Applications
1,502
Got 1st preference
91.0%
Got preferred school
95.9%
All secondary applications across Central Bedfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
50
EHC Plans
14.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
645
Total Pupils
336
Boys
309
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
34
Teachers
19.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,379
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,818
Per pupil
£4160k
Total funding
£140k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
13.8%
Persistent absence
690
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Woodland Middle School Academy
What are SATs results like at Woodland Middle School Academy?
Of the pupils at Woodland Middle School Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 63% did so in maths.
What is Woodland Middle School Academy's Ofsted rating?
Woodland Middle School Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Woodland Middle School Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Woodland Middle School Academy is oversubscribed, Central Bedfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Woodland Middle School Academy?
Woodland Middle School Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 720 places.
How big are the classes at Woodland Middle School Academy?
Classes at Woodland Middle School Academy average 26.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Woodland Middle School Academy?
Woodland Middle School Academy has around 645 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Woodland Middle School Academy?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Woodland Middle School Academy in 2024/25. 13.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Woodland Middle School Academy?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Woodland Middle School Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Woodland Middle School Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 11 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 2 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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Woodland Middle School Academy?
Woodland Middle School Academy is at Malham Close, Flitwick, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 1NP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)