Woodside Academy, Grays
Woodside Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Grays. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 16 schools in Grays with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Thurrock (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Woodside Academy in detail
Woodside Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "At Woodside Academy, we believe that education is about far more than just academics - it's about nurturing well-rounded, confident, and emotionally literate children who are ready to take on the world. The arts and sport play a vital role in our school, sparking creativity, building confidence, and helping children express themselves."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:15am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Woodside Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 81% and 81% in Thurrock and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (84% in reading, 89% in maths).
Getting a place at Woodside Academy
For September 2026 entry, 62 families put Woodside Academy as their first choice and 160 named it as one of their preferences, for 69 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Woodside Academy are Little Thurrock Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 77% reading, 75% maths); Chadwell St Mary Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 86% reading, 86% maths); Herringham Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 77% reading, 89% maths); and Deneholm Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 73% reading, 78% maths).
Woodside Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Little Thurrock Primary SchoolChadwell St Mary Primary SchoolHerringham Primary AcademyDeneholm Primary School
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Grays Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Grangewood Avenue (southbound), 270 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Woodside Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 257 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Thurrock (163), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Woodside Academy issued 2 suspensions, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Woodside Academy are Orsett Heath Academy (0.4 miles), The Gateway Academy (0.9 miles), Grays Convent High School (1.1 miles) and The Hathaway Academy (1.1 miles).
Orsett Heath AcademyThe Gateway AcademyGrays Convent High SchoolThe Hathaway Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals 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 September 2014, 12 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are proud to be part of the Woodside community, and rightly so. Pupils identify key adults they could talk to if they have any concerns. Pupils learn how to care for each other. They are accepting of others who are different from themselves. They say this is what makes them unique. Pupils are happy at school and are safe.
Staff have high expectations of pupils' learning and behaviour. From the early years, children and pupils work hard and try their best. They are inquisitive learners and have a thirst to find out more. Pupils achieve well in end-of-key-stage tests and assessments.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has carefully considered what they want pupils to learn. The curriculum reflects opportunities for pupils to find out more about their locality. The school has chosen to do this through topics and themes. For example, pupils study local buildings to understand how the area has changed over time. Pupils learn key information in order to deepen their understanding of important concepts. Frequent opportunities to revisit previous learning help them to recall knowledge. However, this is not consistent in every subject. A few subject plans are not as precise in how knowledge is broken into manageable steps. This leads to inconsistencies in how the subject is taught. As a result, pupils' learning is not as strong as it should be.
Teachers have a secure knowledge of the subjects they teach. They use this effectively when asking questions to check pupils' understanding. This ensures any misconceptions are addressed. In early years, adults skilfully work alongside children. They prompt and question children to promote their exploration of learning. Children use key words well to explain what they are doing.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
18.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 89% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.5
Avg class size
29.6
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
23
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Woodside Academy
🐾 Census Day - Wild About Animals! Thursday 1st October
21 Sep 2026
Amazon Wishlist
26 Aug 2026
New Catering Company
9 Jul 2026
Pop Up Pool
8 Jun 2026
International Day 🌍
21 May 2026
Book Week Competition March 26
27 Feb 2026
From Woodside Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Woodside Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Woodside Academy.
- Camp Epic WoodsideAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Woodside Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Woodside Academy is in Thurrock; for families living there:
- Thurrock's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy
- How to apply: apply for school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Thurrock is 12 (the median across 58 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 Woodside Academy
Will you get a place at Woodside Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Woodside Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Woodside Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Woodside Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Thurrock, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Woodside Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Thurrock 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
99%
Near capacity
627 pupils
630 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Grays
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Grays
Across Thurrock council
Places available
2,543
Applications
2,192
Got 1st preference
90.1%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across Thurrock council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
135
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
25.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
662
Total Pupils
348
Boys
314
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
24.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,844
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,200
Per pupil
£3633k
Total funding
£200k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
10.8%
Persistent absence
558
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
Questions parents ask about Woodside Academy
What are SATs results like at Woodside Academy?
Of the pupils at Woodside Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Woodside Academy's Ofsted rating?
Woodside Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Woodside Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Woodside Academy is oversubscribed, Thurrock allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Woodside Academy?
Woodside Academy was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Woodside Academy?
Classes at Woodside Academy average 27.5 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 Woodside Academy?
Woodside Academy has around 662 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Woodside Academy?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Woodside Academy in 2024/25. 10.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Woodside Academy?
Apply through Thurrock's coordinated admissions process, naming Woodside 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 Woodside Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Camp Epic Woodside (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 Woodside Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Thurrock is 12 (the median across 58 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Woodside Academy?
Woodside Academy is at Grangewood Avenue, Grays, Essex, RM16 2GJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)