Woodlands Secondary School is a council-run special school in Luton for children and young people aged 11 to 18. It supports vision, hearing, autism and 5 other needs.
- Ages 11–18
- 262 pupils
- Ofsted: Outstanding
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 262 (places for 265)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sandra Clarke (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 45.3% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Luton
- School reference (URN)
- 109744
Needs it supports
9 needs: vision, hearing and 7 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Luton (9)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in Luton (4)
Social, emotional and mental health
- Social, emotional and mental health Other schools for this in Luton (5)
Sensory and physical
- Hearing impairment Other schools for this in Luton (6)
- Visual impairment Other schools for this in Luton (6)
- Multi-sensory impairment Other schools for this in Luton (4)
- Physical disability Other schools for this in Luton (6)
It also lists other needs. Ask the school what these are.
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Luton council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Outstanding, May 2024; school remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (November 2022)
Rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in May 2024.
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Sixth formOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next (ungraded inspection, November 2022).
Contact and getting there
Northwell Drive, Luton, LU3 3SP
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Lea Manor High School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted report card (2026) 0.2 miles
- Bramingham Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 4–11 · Ofsted: Good 0.6 miles
- Grasmere Nursery School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–5 · Ofsted: Good 0.9 miles
By need in Luton: Autism (10) · Severe learning (10) · Speech and language (7) · Hearing (7) · Vision (7) · Physical (7) · SEMH (6) · PMLD (5) · Multi-sensory (5) · Moderate learning (4) · Dyslexia and SpLD (4)
Questions about Woodlands Secondary School
How do I get a place at Woodlands Secondary School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Woodlands Secondary School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Woodlands Secondary School support?
Visual impairment, hearing impairment, autism, social, emotional and mental health, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Woodlands Secondary School take?
Aged 11 to 18, boys and girls.
What is Woodlands Secondary School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in May 2024 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Woodlands Secondary School?
Northwell Drive, Luton, LU3 3SP, in Luton.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.