Woodlands
Packington Lane, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 3JEOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Woodlands is a special school in Birmingham for ages 2 to 19. It is one of the 284 schools in Warwickshire. Its latest Ofsted rating is Requires improvement, from an inspection in November 2023.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 28 November 2023, report published 18 January 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Requires improvement
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 23 June 2026
At this happy, vibrant special school, pupils arrive each day to a warm welcome from committed staff who greet them with a smile. Days begin smoothly and calmly as the result of effective morning routines. For instance, some pupils benefit from short sensory breaks following their long journeys to school, which set them up for their day. Staff at Woodlands know the needs of pupils really well. All pupils have education, health and care plans and have a broad range of special educational needs and/or disabilities. Irrespective of the significant barriers many face, the focus here is on learning, and staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, including by offering a range of increasingly ambitious qualifications. Leaders speak about unlocking pupils' potential to become the best versions of themselves; and this is an ambition that pupils share. Pupils work hard, enjoy their learning and are enormously proud of what they achieve. Typically they do very well from their starting points and the quality of work they do is a testament to how much care they take to do their best. Expectations are high for pupils to be as independent as possible in what they do at school and the learning they do to prepare them for life beyond school. Students in post-16 classes are ambitious and informed about their future choices and the world of employment. Pupils behave well and are helpful and caring of one another. Positive relationships are seen here in every interaction between staff and pupils, and have helped bring about an environment in which pupils feel safe, secure and ready to do their best. Bullying is extremely rare and pupils know that if anybody is unkind, teachers will help straight away.
What the school should improve
- Leaders should provide support and guidance to staff to further develop the precision of communication strategies across the school.
- Leaders should refine the personal development offer by using pupil engagement and achievement data more precisely so that it is tailored more closely to each pupil’s needs.
- Leaders should ensure that precise, well-sequenced interventions address gaps in some pupils’ foundational knowledge, including in early writing.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
7 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
216 pupils on roll, with places for 214
Schools near Woodlands
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merstone School | 2 miles | Report card: Strong standard | 0% met the expected standard |
| Forest Oak School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 0% met the expected standard |
| The Heights Academy | 3 miles | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement | Not published |
| Leycroft Academy | 3 miles | Ofsted: Requires improvement | 0% met the expected standard |
| Castlewood School | 3 miles | Report card: Expected standard | Attainment 8: 12.6 |
School details
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- UNITY MAT
- Age range
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Melanie Keating
- Phone
- 01675463590
- Address
- Packington Lane, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 3JE
- Local authority
- Warwickshire
- URN
- 145224
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.