Woodside School, London
Woodside School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in London. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, ended in a report card: 5 expected standard. Before that it was rated Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, in May 2024.
- Ofsted report card
- 0 of 5 areas strong or better
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Woodside School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 24 March 2026 inspection grades Woodside School on 5 areas: 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "From the moment pupils join, the school helps them to feel included and gain a strong sense of belonging."
Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school's curriculum has undergone a complete transformation in the last year."
Inclusion - Expected standard. "Adults working at the school have an expert understanding of how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "The proprietor, school governors and school leaders have a strong, shared ambition for the school."
Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school aims to enable pupils to develop the skills they need to lead an independent and healthy life."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that systems used to measure the progress of pupils, including in their personal development, remain effective when pupil numbers increase"; "Leaders should ensure that the tailored approach to pupils' personal development, including careers provision and the fostering of pupils' talents and interests, are sustainable as the number of pupils on the school roll grows"; "The proprietor and governors should develop clear systems of accountability to ensure that robust challenge is maintained as the school grows to ensure that the independent school standards continue to be met"; "Leaders should develop a wider culture of learning and professional development for all staff that is precisely matched to whole-school priorities for improvement".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Woodside School in its own words
In its own words: "At Woodside School, learning is active, dynamic, and hands-on-there's no sitting in a chair for six hours staring at a whiteboard! We believe in getting pupils up and moving, whether they're creating and making things around the school, exploring the playground, or engaging with the wider community. One of our core values is that we are a smartphone-free school ."
On phones, the school says: "One of our core values is that we are a smartphone-free school ."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Woodside School are Abingdon House School (0.5 miles); Swiss Cottage School - Development & Research Centre (0.7 miles, Outstanding); Harmood School (1.3 miles, Good); and Gloucester House, The Tavistock Children's Day Unit (1.4 miles, Good).
Abingdon House SchoolSwiss Cottage School - Development & Research CentreHarmood SchoolGloucester House, The Tavistock Children's Day Unit
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Woodside School has an education, health and care plan (1 of 1 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is St. John's Wood Underground Station, about 570 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lord's Cricket Ground, 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1253 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Westminster (2033).
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since January 2026 for independent schools)
Safeguarding standards met
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
Safeguarding standards: met
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsNot enough evidence
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Woodside School
The school is a positive place to be, built on mutually respectful relationships and trust between adults and pupils. The school caters effectively for pupils who may face a range of barriers to learning and who may have extensive gaps in their education when they join. The school offers a bespoke educational experience that is matched to each pupil's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school ensures that pupils make a positive start when they join the school so that they quickly feel happy and safe. They are successful here, growing in confidence and developing skills for independent life. Pupils learn from a broad curriculum that includes a secure foundation in English and mathematics. Project work and workshops enable pupils to explore a suitable range of other subjects. The curriculum is adapted at all times to meet the needs and individual interests of each pupil. Pupils' personal development is also tailored to the individual. Pupils learn a taught curriculum of personal, social and health education (PSHE) and also benefit from more informal discussions with staff in response to their experiences and questions they have. The curriculum supports pupils to understand the importance of respect and tolerance for others. Pupils learn how to identify and manage their emotions. Over time, this helps to improve behaviour and develop social skills. The curriculum is supplemented by a range of carefully chosen activities including educational visits, physical activities and careers opportunities. These are carefully matched to the interests and aspirations of each pupil. Leaders prioritise spending time outside each day. Pupils take part in activities that help foster their independence. They learn skills such as managing money, purchasing items and cooking. This curriculum helps pupils build employability skills such as those needed for job interviews and writing a CV.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should ensure that systems used to measure the progress of pupils, including in their personal development, remain effective when pupil numbers increase.
- Leaders should ensure that the tailored approach to pupils' personal development, including careers provision and the fostering of pupils' talents and interests, are sustainable as the number of pupils on the school roll grows.
- The proprietor and governors should develop clear systems of accountability to ensure that robust challenge is maintained as the school grows to ensure that the independent school standards continue to be met.
- Leaders should develop a wider culture of learning and professional development for all staff that is precisely matched to whole-school priorities for improvement.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 24 March 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Woodside School excels at creating a welcoming, family-like environment where pupils with SEND feel safe and quickly develop confidence. The school's expert staff use a carefully designed Montessori curriculum tailored to each child's individual needs, removing barriers to learning. Pupils benefit from a broad education combining strong foundations in core subjects with creative projects, life skills training and real-world workplace experience to prepare them for independence.
Key Strengths
- Expert staff who understand how to support pupils with SEND and adapt the curriculum to individual needs
- Strong sense of belonging and inclusion, with pupils describing the school as 'a family'
- Well-sequenced Montessori-based curriculum with clear focus on English, mathematics and science foundations
- Extensive extra-curricular activities including educational trips, outdoor learning and real-world workplace visits
- Tailored personal development and life skills teaching to prepare pupils for independence
Areas for Improvement
- Need to ensure progress measurement systems remain effective as pupil numbers increase
- Must maintain the tailored approach to personal development and careers provision as the school grows
- Develop clear accountability systems to ensure quality is sustained during expansion
- Build a wider culture of learning and professional development for staff matched to whole-school priorities
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and all legal requirements are fulfilled.
Extracurricular Activities
Educational trips to parks, activity centres, museums and galleries, physical activities, careers education including workplace visits, cooking workshops, art, digital and media work, project-based events
Woodside School is a newly opened independent school in London that caters for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The school has undergone a complete curriculum transformation and provides a bespoke, carefully tailored educational experience built on mutually respectful relationships.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Woodside School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 154
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 32
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 154 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 32 serious and 121 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
28 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 Westminster is 185 (the median across 93 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
7%
Available places
1 pupils
15 places
14 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Westminster council
Places available
1,754
Applications
901
Got 1st preference
65.8%
Got preferred school
92.7%
All secondary applications across Westminster council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Woodside School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
1
Total Pupils
0
Boys
1
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Woodside School
What is Woodside School's Ofsted rating?
Woodside School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
Does Woodside School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in March 2026, Woodside School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Woodside School?
Woodside School has around 1 pupils on roll.
Does Woodside School have specialist SEN provision?
Woodside School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Woodside School?
Woodside School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Woodside School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 154 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 32 serious and 121 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 28 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 Westminster is 185 (the median across 93 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Woodside School?
Woodside School is at St John's Wood Church, Lord's Roundabout, London, NW8 7NE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)