Woodlands Primary School

Sefton · L37 2JN

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 349 pupils, 10.8% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 10.6% on SEN support Behaviour 4.2% absence rate Staff 9.3% turnover Financials £6,054 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Woodlands Primary School

General Information

Address: Woodlands Road, Formby, Liverpool, L37 2JN – View on map
Phone: 01704876444
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Jayne Nel
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 44 families put it first for 45 places – 10 for every 10 places. 95% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 8 · 2025 9 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

349 pupils out of 342 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 34
% eligible for free school meals: 10.8%
Pupil mix: 1 in 10 (less mixed than the Sefton average)
English as an additional language: 2% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 9.3% a year (Sefton 10.9%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 25% moved to another school, 75% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Sefton: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 4 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Sefton, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 8.1%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 10.6%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 23 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 6 pupils
Vision impairment: 1 pupil
Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card April 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard
Early years Expected standard
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2022). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 62% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 16% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 4 percentage points above the Sefton average (58%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 61% against an expected 68%)
3-year average (expected standard): 61%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 78% · Writing 80% · Maths 70% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 76%
Average test scores: reading 106, maths 105
Based on: 50 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolSefton averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 4 percentage points above the Sefton average (58%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 28th of 69 junior and primary schools in the area

=28English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School62%
=28St John's Church of England Primary School62%
=28Woodlands Primary School62%
=31Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Southport61%
=31St Patrick's Catholic Primary School61%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1St Robert Bellarmine Catholic Primary School90%
#2St Thomas Church of England Primary School, Lydiate86%
#3Our Lady of Compassion Catholic Primary School82%
#4Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre81%
=5Litherland Moss Primary School80%
=5St Philip's Church of England Primary School80%
=7Kew Woods Primary School79%
=7Shoreside Primary School79%
=7St Gregory's Catholic Primary School79%
#10St Oswald's Church of England Primary School77%
=11Forefield Junior School76%
=11Summerhill Primary School76%
=13Aintree Davenhill Primary School73%
=13Rimrose Hope CofE Primary School73%
#15Northway Primary School72%
#16Valewood Primary School70%
=17Freshfield Primary School69%
=17St Luke's Halsall Church of England Primary School69%
=17St Mary's Catholic Primary School69%
=20Farnborough Road Junior School68%
=20St Nicholas Church of England Primary School68%
#22Redgate Community Primary School65%
#23St Benedict's Catholic Primary School64%
=24St Andrews Church of England Primary School, Maghull63%
=24St Edmund's and St Thomas' Catholic Primary School63%
=24St John Bosco Catholic Primary School63%
=24St John's Church of England Primary School63%
=28English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School62%
=28St John's Church of England Primary School62%
=28Woodlands Primary School62%
=31Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Southport61%
=31St Patrick's Catholic Primary School61%
=33Hatton Hill Primary School60%
=33King's Lander Primary Academy60%
=35Hudson Primary School59%
=35Melling Primary School59%
#37Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School58%
#38St William of York Catholic Primary School57%
=39Larkfield Primary School56%
=39Marshside Primary School56%
=39St George's Catholic Primary School56%
=39St Jerome's Catholic Primary School56%
=39Ursuline Catholic Primary School56%
=44Churchtown Primary School55%
=44Holy Rosary Catholic Primary School55%
=44Norwood Primary School55%
=47Great Crosby Catholic Primary School53%
=47Netherton Moss Primary School53%
=47St Monica's Catholic Primary School53%
=47Waterloo Primary School53%
=51All Saints Catholic Primary School52%
=51Green Park Primary School52%
=51St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School52%
#54St Luke's Church of England Primary School49%
#55Holy Spirit Catholic Academy48%
=56Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School47%
=56Lydiate Primary School47%
#58Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School44%
#59Holy Family Catholic Primary School43%
#60Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary School42%
#61St Philip's Church of England Controlled Primary School41%
#62Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School39%
#63Bedford Primary School38%
#64Our Lady of Walsingham Primary School32%
#65Birkdale Primary School30%
=66Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School29%
=66Springwell Park Community Primary School29%
#68The Grange Primary School28%
#69Linacre Primary School17%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,054 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

66th of 70 primary schools in Sefton for spending per pupil

#64Ursuline Catholic Primary School£6,096
#65St Patrick's Catholic Primary School£6,058
#66Woodlands Primary School£6,054
#67St John Bosco Catholic Primary School£5,995
#68Great Crosby Catholic Primary School£5,933

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1The Grange Primary School£11,926
#2Linacre Primary School£11,633
#3Redgate Community Primary School£11,344
#4Thomas Gray Primary School£10,835
#5Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School£9,783
#6Hudson Primary School£9,633
#7Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre£9,521
#8Freshfield Primary School£9,305
#9Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School£9,112
#10Waterloo Primary School£9,094
#11St John's Church of England Primary School£9,014
#12Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary School£8,919
#13Netherton Moss Primary School£8,844
#14St Mary's Catholic Primary School£8,800
#15Marshside Primary School£8,643
#16Hatton Hill Primary School£8,588
#17Bedford Primary School£8,568
#18Our Lady of Walsingham Primary School£8,519
#19Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School£8,067
#20King's Lander Primary Academy£8,065
#21Valewood Primary School£7,924
#22Holy Spirit Catholic Academy£7,889
#23Litherland Moss Primary School£7,869
#24All Saints Catholic Primary School£7,827
#25St Oswald's Church of England Primary School£7,817
#26Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School£7,663
#27Springwell Park Community Primary School£7,611
#28St William of York Catholic Primary School£7,464
#29Shoreside Primary School£7,443
#30Rimrose Hope CofE Primary School£7,399
#31St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School£7,317
#32St Philip's Church of England Controlled Primary School£7,313
#33St Andrews Church of England Primary School, Maghull£7,260
#34Holy Family Catholic Primary School£7,168
#35Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Southport£7,092
#36St Luke's Halsall Church of England Primary School£6,988
#37Larkfield Primary School£6,950
#38St Thomas Church of England Primary School, Lydiate£6,901
#39Summerhill Primary School£6,850
#40St Nicholas Church of England Primary School£6,832
#41Melling Primary School£6,820
#42St Benedict's Catholic Primary School£6,771
#43Churchtown Primary School£6,758
#44St Jerome's Catholic Primary School£6,751
#45Our Lady of Compassion Catholic Primary School£6,686
#46Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School£6,660
#47St Luke's Church of England Primary School£6,647
#48St Edmund's and St Thomas' Catholic Primary School£6,627
#49St Gregory's Catholic Primary School£6,611
#50St Robert Bellarmine Catholic Primary School£6,581
#51Kew Woods Primary School£6,566
#52Birkdale Primary School£6,559
#53St Philip's Church of England Primary School£6,544
#54Lydiate Primary School£6,438
#55St Monica's Catholic Primary School£6,360
#56St John's Church of England Primary School£6,345
#57English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School£6,285
#58Norwood Primary School£6,237
#59Green Park Primary School£6,211
#60Northway Primary School£6,182
#61Holy Rosary Catholic Primary School£6,153
#62Aintree Davenhill Primary School£6,147
#63St George's Catholic Primary School£6,127
#64Ursuline Catholic Primary School£6,096
#65St Patrick's Catholic Primary School£6,058
#66Woodlands Primary School£6,054
#67St John Bosco Catholic Primary School£5,995
#68Great Crosby Catholic Primary School£5,933
#69Linaker Primary School£5,850
#70Trinity St Peter's CofE Primary School£4,284

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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