Park Lane Academy

Park Lane Academy is a mixed secondary academy within the South Pennines Academies Trust. The main concern is academic provision: too few pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, make expected progress by the end of key stage 4, and GCSE outcomes in English, mathematics and a range of other subjects have remained very low. The quality of education is inadequate, with inconsistent curriculum implementation and assessment, and some pupils with SEND are not consistently supported to access important knowledge. Behaviour and personal development are stronger. Since the previous inspection, leaders have improved behaviour, and pupils now benefit from calm classrooms, positive relationships, regular attendance and a strong sense of safety. The school’s PSHE programme, extra-curricular offer, pupil leadership roles and careers guidance are well developed, and safeguarding is effective. Leadership and management require improvement: leaders and the trust know the school and are committed to improvement, and staff feel well supported, but work to secure better academic outcomes remains unfinished.

Strengths

• Behaviour has improved since the previous inspection
• Calm, settled classrooms with well-embedded routines
• Positive relationships between pupils and staff
• Pupils attend school regularly
• Pupils are happy, polite and respectful
• Bullying is rare and pupils feel safe
• Pupils have access to trusted adults
• Strong PSHE programme supports pupils’ wider development
• Broad extra-curricular offer with popular trips and clubs
• Active pupil leadership roles, including an elected pupil ‘Prime Minister’
• Appropriate careers guidance starts in Year 7
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Pupils access a broad curriculum in line with national curriculum ambition
• Curriculum design has been carefully considered in some subjects
• Reading support programme is gaining traction rapidly
• Staff feel supported and leaders are mindful of workload and well-being
• Trust and leaders know the school well and are committed to its long-term success

Areas for Improvement

• Too few pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, make expected progress by the end of key stage 4
• GCSE outcomes, including in English and mathematics, remain very low
• The quality of education is inadequate
• Curriculum implementation varies between subjects
• Assessment is inconsistent and does not reliably identify or close gaps in learning
• Some staff do not use SEND information effectively to support pupils’ access to learning
• Tasks in lessons do not always match the intended curriculum
• Staff subject expertise needs further development
• Many pupils leave without sufficient qualifications for their next steps
• Leadership and management require improvement
• Work to improve academic outcomes remains unfinished

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 Park Lane Academy attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 19.1% of pupils at Park Lane Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 pupils were 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 Park Lane Academy had 13.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 20.4% of pupils at Park Lane Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 10.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Park Lane Academy received £9,407 and spent £10,318 for each of its 472 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £536,000 (£1,137 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of South Pennine Academies, income was £8,124 and spending £8,234 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Halifax · Calderdale local authority: places and applications

Park Lane Academy is part of South Pennine Academies, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Brambles Primary Academy Huddersfield
• Moor End Academy Huddersfield
• Beaumont Primary Academy Huddersfield
• Hillside Primary School Huddersfield
• Kirkheaton Primary School Huddersfield
• Orchard Primary Academy Dewsbury
• Woodlands Primary Academy Oldham
• Willowpark Primary Academy Oldham
• Greenacres Primary Academy Oldham

What is Park Lane Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Park Lane Academy is Inadequate, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Park Lane Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Park Lane Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Park Lane Academy have?

Park Lane Academy has 481 pupils on roll.

What age range does Park Lane Academy cover?

Park Lane Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Park Lane Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 32.3, and 18% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Park Lane Academy?

Park Lane Academy is at Park Lane, Exley, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 9LG.