Woodlands Primary Academy, Oldham
Woodlands Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Oldham, part of South Pennine Academies. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 60th-highest of the 68 schools in Oldham with published results, and 12,528th of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Oldham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Woodlands Primary Academy in detail
Woodlands Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "At Woodlands Primary Academy we aim to create a nurturing school community, where children enjoy and excel in their academic and personal achievements and are inspired to continue their love of learning into the rest of their lives."
From the headteacher's welcome: "At Woodlands, we believe learning should be engaging, exciting and challenging for all our pupils. As a 2-11 primary academy, we aim to educate and nurture every child ensuring they acquire the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful in the future."
The school runs a breakfast club.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at Woodlands Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 64% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 74% in Oldham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 58% in reading and 53% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Woodlands Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put Woodlands Primary Academy as their first choice and 48 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Woodlands Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Woodlands Primary Academy are St Theresa's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.2 miles); St. Theresa's RC Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 76% reading, 80% maths); Willowpark Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 66% reading, 69% maths); and Mayfield Primary School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 72% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Woodlands Primary Academy.
St Theresa's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademySt. Theresa's RC Primary SchoolWillowpark Primary AcademyMayfield Primary School
The trust
Woodlands Primary Academy is one of 10 schools run by South Pennine Academies, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
53 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Woodlands Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 60% would recommend the school, 72% say their child is happy there and 53% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (79%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (53%).
Who goes there
48.3% 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 tram or metro stop is Derker (Manchester Metrolink), about 1060 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Counthill Road (opposite), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Woodlands Primary Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Woodlands Primary Academy issued 2 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Woodlands is a welcoming, inclusive school where your child will feel safe and valued. The school excels at teaching children to read and provides excellent support for those who need extra help. Your child will benefit from a rich curriculum including enrichment weeks, clubs, and opportunities to develop leadership skills and character.
Key Strengths
- Excellent early reading and phonics provision with skilled staff who help struggling readers catch up rapidly
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, with staff skilled at adapting the curriculum effectively
- Good behaviour and attitudes throughout the school with pupils being friendly, courteous and attentive
- Comprehensive character development through enrichment weeks and pupil leadership roles
- Effective trust support and leadership driving positive changes
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent implementation of the curriculum across some subjects and year groups prevents pupils developing secure subject knowledge
- Teaching skills in some subjects need strengthening - staff lack clarity in explanations and activity design
- Approaches to help pupils remember and embed knowledge are not used consistently across all areas
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place and a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Cross-country, football, sports leaders, eco-councillors, reading ambassadors, enrichment weeks on aspirations and enterprise, business ventures
Woodlands Primary Academy is a vibrant, welcoming school emerging from a period of instability where pupils enjoy coming and feel happy and safe. However, weaknesses in how the curriculum is delivered mean some pupils are not achieving as well as they should.
At a Glance
48.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
53 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 60% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 53% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 71% to 47% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Woodlands Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Woodlands Primary Academy.
- Sparkles2520m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Woodlands Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Woodlands Primary Academy is in Oldham; for families living there:
Apply to Oldham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 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 Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Woodlands Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Woodlands Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Woodlands Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Woodlands Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oldham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Woodlands Primary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Oldham 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
86%
Available places
271 pupils
315 places
44 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Oldham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oldham
Across Oldham council
Places available
3,927
Applications
2,814
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Oldham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
56
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
22.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
292
Total Pupils
145
Boys
147
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
20.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,878
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,066
Per pupil
£2003k
Total funding
£223k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
18.3%
Persistent absence
262
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 Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Woodlands Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Woodlands Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Woodlands Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 60% reached the expected standard in reading and 64% did so in maths.
What is Woodlands Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Woodlands Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Woodlands Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Woodlands Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Oldham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Woodlands Primary Academy?
Woodlands Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 315 places.
How many pupils go to Woodlands Primary Academy?
Woodlands Primary Academy has around 292 pupils on roll. 48% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Woodlands Primary Academy?
6% of sessions were missed at Woodlands Primary Academy in 2024/25. 18.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Woodlands Primary Academy?
Apply through Oldham's coordinated admissions process, naming Woodlands Primary 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 Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Woodlands Primary Academy: Sparkles2 (520m away, 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 Woodlands Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Woodlands Primary Academy?
Woodlands Primary Academy is at Woodlands Primary Academy, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL1 4HU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)