Great Wood Community Primary School

About Great Wood Community Primary School

Great Wood Community Primary School is a small state primary in Staffordshire Moorlands, currently teaching 105 pupils against a capacity of 177, meaning it operates at around 59% of its maximum. That spare capacity might come as a surprise given the demand signal from admissions: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 21 applications for just 12 places, with all 12 first-preference applicants offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.75. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 17.1%, which is above the national average for primary schools, suggesting a catchment that includes a fair share of families facing financial pressure. The school is mixed, non-denominational, and serves children aged 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form provision. Its headteacher, Alex Brayford, leads a team that has clearly built a reputation locally, as the school ranks 3rd out of 19 primary schools in the Staffordshire Moorlands local authority area, placing it comfortably in the top 25% nationally.

Academically, Great Wood performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Staffordshire local authority average of just 65%. That puts the school 15 percentage points ahead of its peers across the county. Looking at individual subjects, 90% met the expected standard in maths, 85% in reading and 85% in writing. At the higher standard, 15% achieved in both reading, writing and maths, with maths particularly strong at 35% reaching the higher threshold. Average scaled scores were 106 in both reading and maths, which is above the national benchmark of 100. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2022, rated it Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management, early years provision, and the quality of education. This is a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2015, when it was rated Requires Improvement.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including an art studio, sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, forest school area, and an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers dance, gymnastics, cricket, athletics, tennis and cross country, while clubs include coding, science club and chess. For children with additional needs, the school has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulties, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. There is no boarding or nursery on site. The nearest outstanding-rated primary is St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, just 0.4 km away, which may be a consideration for families weighing options. Great Wood is a good fit for parents who value strong academic outcomes in a small, non-faith setting, and who are comfortable with the school being undersubscribed overall despite being oversubscribed for first-preference applicants. Its above-average FSM rate suggests a genuinely mixed intake, and the forest school provision will appeal to families who want outdoor learning as part of the week.

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