Great Wood Primary School

About Great Wood Primary School

Great Wood Primary School sits comfortably above the local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with 77% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared to a Lancashire primary average of 60%. That 17-point gap is a meaningful one, and it places the school in the top 25% nationally for this measure. Within Lancaster, it ranks 7th out of 46 primary schools, putting it well ahead of most local peers. The school also outperforms the LA average on individual subjects: 85% of pupils hit the expected standard in reading, 87% in writing and 78% in maths. At the higher standard, 8% achieved the top marks across all three subjects. These figures suggest a school that is delivering consistently solid academic outcomes, particularly in literacy, and doing so for a broadly representative intake — just 10% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average.

The school’s most recent graded Ofsted inspection, in 2013, rated it Good overall, with Good for leadership and management. An ungraded inspection in November 2022 confirmed it remains Good, so the school has held that rating for over a decade. The previous graded inspection, back in 2009, had rated it Requires Improvement, meaning the school has clearly turned a corner and sustained that improvement. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds on top of starting points, but the attainment figures are strong. In the Lancaster local authority, Great Wood ranks 60th out of 480 primary schools overall, which puts it in the top 13% of all primaries in Lancashire. For context, only 31 schools in the entire LA are rated Outstanding, so Good is a very respectable and common rating for high-performing schools in this area.

The school is oversubscribed: for 56 places in 2025/26, it received 158 applications, with 53 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.82. That tells you local families rate it highly. Facilities include a library, music rooms, art studios, a sensory room and a forest school, plus a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, football, rounders, gymnastics and dance, and clubs range from choir and book club to coding and science club. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, autism, speech and language difficulties, hearing impairment and physical disability. Great Wood is a state primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form. It is a good fit for families in Lancaster who want a well-regarded local school with strong academic results, a broad enrichment offer and a clear track record of improvement.

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