Woodlands School
Whitegate Drive, Blackpool, FY3 9HFOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Woodlands School is a special school in Blackpool for ages 2 to 19. It is one of the 50 schools in Blackpool. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in September 2013.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 24 September 2013, report published 15 October 2013
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 14 May 2024
Pupils enjoy school. Staff know and respond to pupils' additional needs well. This puts pupils at ease and helps them to feel safe. Pupils receive effective support to express their feelings using a range of appropriate communication strategies. This helps pupils to feel heard and understood by staff and each other. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, benefit from staff's effective use of sensory strategies. This helps them to feel calm and regulate their behaviour. Staff quickly respond to pupils' individual needs if they struggle with any emotional difficulties. As a result, pupils quickly return to their learning activities. The school has raised its aspirations for pupils' achievement. It has recently increased the breadth of the curriculum. Pupils learn a range of subjects. Staff typically deliver the curriculum effectively. As a result, pupils achieve well from their different starting points. Pupils access a vast range of visits and trips. This supports them to learn about the wider world and to build their confidence. For example, some pupils enjoyed a residential trip where they took part in climbing and caving activities. These opportunities enhance pupils' learning and make their time at school memorable.
What the school should improve
- In some curriculum areas, the school has not identified the knowledge that pupils need to learn clearly enough. This limits how well pupils' knowledge builds on what they already know and can do. The school should ensure that, in all curriculum areas, the knowledge that pupils will learn is identified clearly.
- Some staff do not have sufficient awareness, understanding and skill to adapt the reading curriculum for those pupils who are not yet ready to learn phonics. This means that, at times, learning activities are not as focused as they could be in helping pupils to be ready to learn to read. The school should ensure that staff have a detailed knowledge of the pre-reading curriculum and that they are suitably equipped to develop pupils' pre-reading skills.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
9 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
111 pupils on roll, with places for 110
Schools near Woodlands School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Community Academy | 0.1 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | Attainment 8: 0.8 |
| Blackpool Skills Academy | 0.7 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
| Spen Brook School | 1 mile | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| The Maple School | 1 mile | Ofsted: Inadequate | Attainment 8: 1.1 |
| Highfurlong School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 0% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Community special school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Karen Haworth
- Phone
- 01253316722
- Address
- Whitegate Drive, Blackpool, FY3 9HF
- Local authority
- Blackpool
- URN
- 119871
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.