Harwood Park Primary School

Harwood Park Primary has demonstrated significant improvement since its previous inspection and is now rated as good overall. The school fosters a positive and engaging environment where pupils are happy, behave well, and actively contribute to the school community. The curriculum is ambitious and effectively designed to meet the diverse needs of all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, some areas for improvement have been identified, particularly in timely identification of additional needs for certain pupils with SEND and attendance issues, which affect some students' learning experiences.

Strengths

• The school provides a calm and welcoming environment for learning.
• Pupils achieve well and are enthusiastic about their education.
• The curriculum is ambitious and effectively supports diverse learning needs.
• Reading is prioritized, with high-quality texts introduced early.
• Pupils benefit from various activities that foster personal development.
• Staff are well-trained and equipped to support pupil learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils with SEND do not have their needs identified in a timely manner.
• A few pupils do not attend school regularly, impacting their learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Harwood Park Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.2% of pupils at Harwood Park Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Harwood Park Primary School had 19.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 25.8% of pupils at Harwood Park Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Harwood Park Primary School received £8,333 and spent £8,796 for each of its 285 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £41,000 (-£145 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Heywood · Rochdale local authority: places and applications

What is Harwood Park Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Harwood Park Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Harwood Park Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Harwood Park Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Harwood Park Primary School have?

Harwood Park Primary School has 291 pupils on roll.

What age range does Harwood Park Primary School cover?

Harwood Park Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Harwood Park Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Harwood Park Primary School?

Harwood Park Primary School is at Hardfield Street, Heywood, Lancashire, OL10 1DG.