Oakwood Primary School

About Oakwood Primary School

Oakwood Primary School in Southampton is a state primary for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11, and it is running very close to capacity. With 414 pupils on roll against a school capacity of 420, there is almost no slack in the system. The school serves a community with a noticeably high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals: 27.1 per cent, which is well above the national average of around 23 per cent for primary schools. Demand for places is strong. For the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 95 applications for 59 places, making it officially oversubscribed. Of those applications, 60 were first-preference choices, and 57 first-preference offers were made. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.61 applicants per place, a clear signal that local families are keen to secure a spot here. The school has no religious character and no nursery or sixth form provision, so it is a straightforward primary option for families in the Southampton area.

Academically, Oakwood sits in the middle of the pack locally. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 55 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, exactly matching the Southampton local authority average of 55 per cent. That places the school 24th out of 42 primary schools in the LA, putting it in the bottom half of the local league table. Nationally, it ranks in the 69th percentile. The school’s strongest individual subject at KS2 was maths, where 77 per cent of pupils met the expected standard and the average scaled score was 105. Reading was close behind at 73 per cent expected and an average score of 106. Writing was weaker, with 65 per cent reaching the expected level. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard across all three subjects was just 8 per cent, which is below the national average. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2016, the school was rated Good overall, with Good for leadership and management and Good for early years provision. A subsequent ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed that the school remains Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including a library, playing fields, a gymnasium, art studios, a forest school area, and a sports hall. Sports on offer include athletics, cross country, gymnastics and netball, while clubs extend to drama, book club, gardening and eco club. For families with children who have additional needs, Oakwood’s SEND provisions are broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying from outside the immediate catchment area should be realistic about their chances. It suits families who want a well-subscribed local primary with a strong focus on inclusion and a good range of extracurricular activities, but who are comfortable with academic results that are broadly in line with the local average rather than pushing into the top tier. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Holy Family Catholic Primary, 2.7 km away, for those who might want to compare options.

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