Woodend Farm School
Woodend Farm, Hatfield Road, Witham, CM8 1EHOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Woodend Farm School is a special school in Witham for ages 6 to 16. It is one of the 604 schools in Essex. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 18 June 2024, report published 14 July 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 18 June 2024
Woodend Farm School is a nurturing and caring place to learn. Many pupils arrive at the school following a disrupted education, with extended periods of non- attendance. Kind and supportive staff go to great lengths to build strong, trusting relationships with pupils and their families. This means pupils feel safe and happy. For many, this is the first time they have successfully engaged with learning. Staff support pupils to manage their worries about change, new places and people. The personalised curriculum helps pupils to be emotionally ready to learn. Pupils learn to communicate with others positively. As a result, they look forward to coming to school and attend regularly. Pupils flourish at their happy, inclusive and welcoming school. Staff have high expectations for pupils. All pupils who attend the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum teaches pupils about the world around them. Pupils learn valuable life skills, such as personal care and hygiene and cooking, which prepare them well for their future. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when at home, such as who to call if there is a fire. As well as what to do if you get lost in unfamiliar places, such as shops.
What the school should improve
- Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to apply their knowledge of reading outside phonics lessons. This means they do not become fluent readers as soon as they could. The school should ensure that teachers provide routine opportunities for pupils to read outside of phonics lessons so they become fluent and confident readers sooner.
- In some subjects, where the curriculum is new, the school has not provided staff with sufficient clarity on the important knowledge pupils need to learn. This leads to occasions where staff set work that does not enable pupils to secure what they need for future learning. The school should ensure that they clearly identify the knowledge pupils need across these subjects. They should then ensure that staff understand how to provide pupils with work that enables them to secure this knowledge.
Pupil numbers and mix
25 pupils on roll, with places for 40
Schools near Woodend Farm School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southview School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | Not published |
| Chatten Free School | 3 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 0% met the expected standard |
| The Belsteads School | 6 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| Clarity Independent School | 6 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
| High Trees | 7 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Sector
- Independent
- Age range
- 6 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Selective
- Headteacher
- Mrs Gemma Quantrill
- Phone
- 01376790202
- Address
- Woodend Farm, Hatfield Road, Witham, CM8 1EH
- Local authority
- Essex
- URN
- 149597
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.