School Chooser

Woodcroft Primary

Primary · ages 4-11MixedCouncil203 pupils Free breakfast clubWaterloovilleHampshire
School Chooser Score
10
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 5 to 21
Out of 100. Better than 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2024
Reached the expected level at 1139%England 63%
Attendance91.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families63%Far more than most schools
Places7 spare203 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.5School workforce census

Woodcroft Primary is a council school in Waterlooville for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 203 pupils and room for 210. About 63 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 10 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

37 Woodcroft Lane, Waterlooville, PO8 9QD023 9259 3939woodcroftprimary.co.ukMrs Kay Bowen (Interim Headteacher) headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 21 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

28 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1139%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score99.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 37%37%20182019: 26%26%20192023: 53%53%20232024: 53%53%20242025: 39%39%2025
Since 2017: -11%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HampshireEngland
Pupils tested283030273026
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths39%53%53%26%37%50%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%7%3%4%0%0%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score99.0102.0101.0100.099.0101.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0102.0103.0100.099.099.0104.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score100.0101.0103.0100.0100.099.0104.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard43%63%60%48%50%73%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard46%67%77%48%60%62%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)57%67%67%67%57%62%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.6-3.3-3.1-2.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.5-3.9-3.2-2.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged37%53%38%17%28%38%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged44%55%65%44%50%70%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
37%44%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
54%27%
Gap 27 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full202 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
96% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 2.0 miles away in 2026, 280 m away in 2022. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 2.0 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3045302.0 milesLA
2025 Primary304326all offeredLA
2024 Primary303926all offeredLA
2023 Primary303422all offeredLA
2022 Primary303930280 mLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 2.0 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 2.0 miles of the school£350,000half sold for £284k to £440k
Homes sold1,515December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+8%a typical home in the district sells for £323,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll203Census January 2026
Places21097% full
Pupils from low-income families63%63% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English7%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support23%47 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)59%£186,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls103 / 100
White British pupils86%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (20), emotional and mental health (17), language and communications needs (13), Physical disability (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll203197187199200177
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals63%64%53%53%56%58%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language7%6%7%8%7%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support28%22%18%21%18%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%6%4%5%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school27.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils8.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.2%6.1%6.2%8.1%4.4%5.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.1%4.6%4.7%6.1%3.2%4.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%1.5%1.5%2.0%1.2%1.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence27.0%17.7%18.6%26.0%14.5%13.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate8.18.03.01.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers11.0full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher18.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,803
Teachers who left in the year2%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.42024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,085England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£7,942England £7,697. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,893England £3,480
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £62k, £313 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£28kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,085spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m35712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate97 per 1,000 people7% higher than the England average
Typical house price£325,000Havant
Nearest bus stop100 mCurlew Gardens, 5 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hart Plain Infant SchoolCouncil0.8 miles134Good 202334Compare
Padnell Infant SchoolCouncil0.9 miles266Good 202381Compare
Padnell Junior SchoolCouncil0.9 miles360Good 202465Compare
Hart Plain Junior SchoolCouncil0.9 miles179No overall grade 20255Compare
Horndean Infant SchoolCouncil1.2 miles266Good 202240Compare
Horndean Church of England Junior SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles453Good 202227Compare
Queen's Inclosure Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles414Good 202356Compare
Denmead Infant SchoolCouncil1.5 miles201Good 202369Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Woodcroft Primary with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats17%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 10 is 15 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 25 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 10 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 10% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 5 to 21. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.23
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 28 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.14
DfE progress measure; 28 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.12
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.20
2024/25; 185 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.01
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 28 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Woodcroft Primary a good school?

The figures are weak. Woodcroft Primary scores 10 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 5 to 21, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Woodcroft Primary's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Woodcroft Primary good at its last full inspection on 21 May 2024.

How good are Woodcroft Primary's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 39% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Woodcroft Primary have?

203 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 97% full.

Is Woodcroft Primary oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 2.0 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Woodcroft Primary?

Pupils were in school 91.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 27% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Woodcroft Primary?

The average class had 29.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Woodcroft Primary have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
37 Woodcroft Lane, Waterlooville, PO8 9QD
Telephone
023 9259 3939
Website
www.woodcroftprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Kay Bowen (Interim Headteacher)
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Hampshire
Ward
Hart Plain
Constituency
Fareham and Waterlooville
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2009 (result of amalgamation)
URN
135529 · LAESTAB 8503670 · UKPRN 10072339
Formerly
Meadowlands Infant School, Meadowlands Junior School

Where these figures come from