Woodhey High School

About Woodhey High School

Woodhey High School has turned a corner. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025, inspectors judged the school to be Good overall, a clear step up from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2022. The most telling exam metric is its Progress 8 score of 0.05, which places it in the 'Average' banding nationally. This means that, on average, pupils at Woodhey achieve slightly better than the national expected standard across their eight best GCSE subjects. That score also sits above the Bury local authority average of -0.02, putting Woodhey 6th out of 14 secondary schools in the area. The school's Attainment 8 score of 49.2 further underlines solid academic performance, and 51.9% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, with 74.3% hitting the grade 4 threshold. The school's EBacc average point score of 4.46 and a Progress 8 score of 0.2 specifically for EBacc subjects suggest particular strength in that academic combination.

The Ofsted breakdown reveals real strengths in behaviour and personal development, both rated Outstanding. Inspectors noted that pupils behave well and attitudes to learning are strong, which is backed up by parent feedback: 89% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that the school makes sure pupils are well behaved, and 89% said their child feels safe. The leadership and management, along with the quality of education, are both rated Good. Parent satisfaction is high overall, with 84% of respondents saying they would recommend the school. On the academic front, the school's Progress 8 scores show a mixed picture by subject area: maths is a relative strength with a score of 0.15, while English sits slightly below average at -0.06. The school's open element (non-EBacc subjects) also shows a slightly negative score of -0.11, suggesting that the core EBacc subjects are where pupils make the most progress.

Woodhey is a popular choice, oversubscribed for 2025/26 with 435 applications for 224 places and 262 first-preference applications. It is a mixed, non-denominational secondary for ages 11 to 16 with no sixth form. The school has a wide range of facilities including a theatre, swimming pool, gymnasium, astro turf, and a sports hall. Sports on offer include tennis, hockey, athletics, basketball, and swimming, while clubs range from coding and debate to gardening and Model UN. The school has a strong SEND provision, with support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder, among others. 29% of parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire said their child has SEND, and 69% of those agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives them the support they need. With 14.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Woodhey serves a broadly representative local community.

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