Willow Park School
Willow Park School is a sponsored special academy in Sheffield for boys and girls aged 7 to 16. It has 89 pupils and room for 100. About 86 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2023.
Norfolk Park Road, Sheffield, S2 2RU0114 279 6850teameducation.org/page/?title=Willow+Park+School&pid=254Principal Mark Fairbrother headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 January 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
11 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Heritage Park School, the school this one replaced.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Sheffield | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 23 | 18 | 12 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 0.8 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 7.0 | 45.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.21 | -1.97 | -2.40 | -2.09 | -2.22 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 44% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 8% | 64% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.03 | 0.27 | 0.07 | 0.04 | 0.10 | 0.28 | 4.01 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 40% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | – | – | 1.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 5.9 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 5.4 | – | – |
† These results are for Heritage Park School, the school this one replaced in January 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
6 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way. These are the results of Heritage Park School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Sheffield | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 6 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 12 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 0% | 0% | 59% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 102.0 | 93.0 | 87.0 | 100.0 | 92.0 | 108.0 | 104.8 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 94.0 | – | 87.0 | 96.0 | 90.0 | 92.0 | 103.7 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 98.0 | – | 85.0 | 98.0 | 96.0 | 101.0 | 104.4 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 33% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 11% | 8% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 14% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -14.9 | -12.4 | -16.6 | -14.3 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -9.9 | -12.3 | -13.1 | -13.8 | – | – |
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.
† These results are for Heritage Park School, the school this one replaced in January 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Sheffield council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (81), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), language and communications needs (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 89 | 91 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 87% | 87% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 1% | 1% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 73.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 26.4% | 21.7% | 22.5% | 23.8% | 34.9% | 23.3% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 16.2% | 10.4% | 12.1% | 10.9% | 23.6% | 13.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 10.3% | 11.3% | 10.3% | 12.9% | 11.3% | 10.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 53.1% | 51.6% | 46.5% | 46.0% | 79.0% | 51.2% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 17.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Heritage Park School, the school this one replaced in January 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Saints' Catholic High School | Academy | 160 m | 1,404 | Report card 2026 | 59 | Compare |
| Discovery Academy | Free school | 220 m | 121 | No overall grade 2025 | – | Compare |
| Seven Hills School | Academy | 230 m | – | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| The Sheffield College | Further education | 320 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Manor Lodge Community Primary and Nursery School | Academy | 840 m | 385 | No overall grade 2025 | 7 | Compare |
| UTC Sheffield City Centre | University technical college | 910 m | 543 | No overall grade 2025 | 17 | Compare |
| Norfolk Community Primary School | Academy | 960 m | 469 | Good 2022 | 4 | Compare |
| Freeman College | Special post 16 institution | 0.6 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Willow Park School a good school?
Willow Park School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in January 2023.
What is Willow Park School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Willow Park School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 10 January 2023.
How good are Willow Park School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 0.8, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are Willow Park School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Willow Park School have?
89 pupils aged 7 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 100 places, so it is 89% full.
What is attendance like at Willow Park School?
Pupils were in school 73.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 53% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Norfolk Park Road, Sheffield, S2 2RU
- Telephone
- 0114 279 6850
- Website
- www.teameducation.org/page/?title=Willow+Park+School&pid=254
- Headteacher
- Principal Mark Fairbrother
- Type of school
- Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 7-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Nexus Multi Academy Trust (23 schools)
- Local authority
- Sheffield
- Ward
- Park and Arbourthorne
- Constituency
- Sheffield Heeley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2025 (new provision)
- URN
- 151377 · LAESTAB 3737002 · UKPRN 10096573
- Formerly
- Heritage Park School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.