Woodlands Academy, Grimsby
Woodlands Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Grimsby, part of Harbour Learning Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 34 schools in Grimsby with published results, and 3,885th of 14,452 across England. It was 65% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- 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 North East Lincolnshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Woodlands Academy in detail
Woodlands Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Woodlands Academy is a place of nurture and inclusivity, where everyone - pupils, staff, parents, visitors and our community - is empowered to thrive. We believe that, once you have visited Woodlands Academy, there will always be a part of our incredible school with you."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Woodlands Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 77% in North East Lincolnshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 63% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Woodlands Academy
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Woodlands Academy as their first choice and 37 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 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 Woodlands Academy are Scartho Gateway Academy (0.4 miles); Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe (0.7 miles, Good, 49% reading, 43% maths); Grange Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 48% reading, 69% maths); and Western Primary School (0.9 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 69% maths).
Woodlands Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Scartho Gateway AcademyOasis Academy NunsthorpeGrange Primary SchoolWestern Primary School
The trust
Woodlands Academy is one of 8 schools run by Harbour Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
15 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Woodlands Academy (as of September 2025): 40% would recommend the school, 73% say their child is happy there and 25% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (73%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (25%).
Who goes there
43.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Grimsby Town Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dale View (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Woodlands Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Woodlands Academy issued 9 suspensions, 3.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Woodlands Academy are Ormiston Maritime Academy (0.9 miles) and Oasis Academy Wintringham (1.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Woodlands Academy is a welcoming, happy place where children thrive and behave exceptionally well. The school offers an ambitious curriculum with excellent teaching of reading and writing, and outstanding support for children in the early years. Staff have very high expectations for all pupils and provide a rich range of activities that help children become well-rounded individuals prepared for their next stage of education.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour and attitudes - pupils are polite, considerate and exceptionally well-behaved throughout the day
- Outstanding early years provision with strong focus on communication and language
- Excellent reading teaching from early age with pupils reading fluently and independently
- Ambitious and engaging curriculum across wide range of subjects
- Very high attendance rates achieved through engaging curriculum and strong family support
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment is not consistently strong across all subjects - in some areas, misconceptions are not identified and addressed well enough to deepen pupils' learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
After-school crafts, sports, extra-curricular visits, careers learning with local employers, food bank community support
Woodlands Academy is a thriving school where pupils are highly respectful, well-behaved, and happy to learn. The school has made significant improvements from its previous 'Requires Improvement' rating, with outstanding behaviour, personal development, and leadership.
At a Glance
43.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
15 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 63% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 73% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 68% to 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.2
Avg class size
19.3
Infant (KS1)
26.7
KS2
13
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Woodlands Academy
Before and after school care
Woodlands Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in North East Lincolnshire
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Woodlands Academy.
- Premier Education WAC @ Scartho Gateway Academy670m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Education WAC @ Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Woodlands Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see North East Lincolnshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Woodlands Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Woodlands Academy is in North East Lincolnshire; for families living there:
- North East Lincolnshire's school travel policy: Home-to-School Transport Policy 2027 -2028
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle and 1 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 North East Lincolnshire is 19 (the median across 73 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 Woodlands Academy
Will you get a place at Woodlands Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Woodlands Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Woodlands Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Woodlands Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from North East Lincolnshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Woodlands Academy for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in North East Lincolnshire 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
65%
Available places
275 pupils
420 places
145 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Grimsby
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Grimsby
Across North East Lincolnshire council
Places available
2,175
Applications
1,358
Got 1st preference
97.4%
Got preferred school
99.6%
All primary applications across North East Lincolnshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
66
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
26.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
313
Total Pupils
146
Boys
167
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
18.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,849
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,206
Per pupil
£1986k
Total funding
£206k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
7.5%
Persistent absence
265
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
Woodlands Academy
Questions parents ask about Woodlands Academy
What are SATs results like at Woodlands Academy?
Of the pupils at Woodlands Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% did so in maths.
What is Woodlands Academy's Ofsted rating?
Woodlands Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Woodlands Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Woodlands Academy is oversubscribed, North East Lincolnshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Woodlands Academy?
Woodlands Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 65% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Woodlands Academy?
Classes at Woodlands Academy average 22.2 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Woodlands Academy?
Woodlands Academy has around 313 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Woodlands Academy?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Woodlands Academy in 2024/25. 7.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Woodlands Academy?
Apply through North East Lincolnshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Woodlands 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 Woodlands Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Woodlands Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Woodlands Academy: Premier Education WAC @ Scartho Gateway Academy (670m away, registered, not yet graded) and Premier Education WAC @ Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe (930m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Woodlands Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle and 1 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 North East Lincolnshire is 19 (the median across 73 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Woodlands Academy?
Woodlands Academy is at Pinewood Crescent, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN33 1RJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)