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Woodside Academy

General Information

  • Address: Grangewood Avenue, Grays, RM16 2GJ – View on map
  • Phone: 01375372513
  • Website: Visit school website
  • Headteacher: Ms J Ryder
  • Age range: 3-11 years
  • Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 62 families put it first for 69 places – 9 for every 10 places. 98% 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 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
  • Sixth form: No
  • Intake: Mixed
  • Religious character: Does not apply
  • Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

662 pupils out of 660 places At or near capacity
  • Pupils eligible for free school meals: 120
  • % eligible for free school meals: 18.1%
  • Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (similar to the Thurrock average)
  • English as an additional language: 14% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

  • Teacher turnover: 11.9% a year (Thurrock 17.4%, typical in England 13.9%)
  • Where they went: about 58% moved to another school, 42% 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.

Supply and cover teaching

  • Classes taught mainly by supply or cover staff for half a term or more: 0 (a full term or more: 0)
  • Teaching posts vacant or only temporarily filled during the year: 0
  • Days of supply or agency teacher cover: 0
  • Data year: 2025/26 (from the school, under Freedom of Information)

Government figures only count teachers on contracts of 28 days or more, so a class covered by a run of supply teachers doesn't show up in them – which is why we ask schools directly.

Behaviour

Higher incident record 2025/26

Reading the numbers: higher figures below often mean a school records thoroughly and takes concerns seriously, rather than more incidents happening. A school reporting unusually low figures sometimes has a reporting gap rather than a problem-free intake. If a figure stands out, it's worth asking the school how it records.

  • Data year: 2025/26
  • Bullying incidents: 23
  • Physical aggression / violence incidents: 39
  • Child protection referrals: 11
  • Safeguarding concerns: 17
  • Racist incidents: 23
  • Suspensions (fixed-term exclusions): 5
  • Permanent exclusions: 0
  • Sexual harassment or sexual violence between pupils (recorded incidents): 1 (led to a suspension or exclusion: 6; referred to social care or police: 6) – a higher number can mean a school takes reports seriously and records them carefully

Figures may show "<5" for some schools.

Across Thurrock: suspensions by reason

  • Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
  • Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
  • Suspensions for bullying: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
  • Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 2 (0.1 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 Thurrock, 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: 4.5%
  • Persistently absent pupils: 10.8%
  • Data year: 2024/25

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

  • Pupils on SEN Support: 20.4%
  • Pupils with an EHC Plan: 5.0%
  • Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

  • Moderate learning difficulty: 73 pupils
  • Speech, language and communications needs: 30 pupils
  • Social, emotional and mental health: 20 pupils
  • Specific learning difficulty: 9 pupils
  • Hearing impairment: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

  • Autistic spectrum disorder: 21 pupils
  • Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
  • Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
  • Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
  • Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

Parent score - no reviews yet –
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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Safeguarding
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Wraparound Care
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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

Year 6 SATs results

  • Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 73% (England 62%)
  • Reached the higher standard: 13% (England 8%)
  • Compared with the area: 4 percentage points above the Thurrock average (69%)
  • Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 75% against an expected 62%)
  • 3-year average (expected standard): 75%
  • Expected standard by subject: Reading 86% · Writing 84% · Maths 83% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 87%
  • Average test scores: reading 107, maths 107
  • Based on: 90 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

SATs results over time

2022/232023/242024/2574%77%73%
This schoolThurrock 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 Thurrock average (69%).

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,603 (2024-25)

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

Environment

Data received 2025/26

Accessibility

  • Step-free for pupils, staff and visitors: No
  • Overall accessibility: Mostly
  • Lifts for pupil use: Yes
  • Accessible toilets: Yes
  • Changing Places facility: Yes
  • Sensory room: Yes

Climate

  • Classrooms with air conditioning: 100%
  • Mechanical ventilation: No
  • Air cooling units: No
  • Shaded outdoor areas: Some
  • Heatwave procedures: Yes - informal arrangements

Technology

  • Pupils per device: 1:1 (one each)
  • Digital display in every classroom: Yes
  • Interactive whiteboards: Yes - all classrooms
  • 1:1 pupil device programme: Yes - all pupils
  • Coding / robotics equipment: Yes
  • Assistive technology for SEND pupils: Yes