Willowpark Primary Academy

Willowpark Primary Academy has been inspected and continues to demonstrate good performance across various domains. The school prides itself on fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where pupils feel safe and secure. Pupils show strong relationships with adults and each other, reflecting the school's core values of respect, responsibility, and resilience. The curriculum is effective in most subjects and adequately prepares pupils for future education while catering to the needs of various learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The strong emphasis on personal development and enrichment activities further enhances the students' educational experience. However, there are some areas for improvement, particularly in finalizing the curriculum in certain subjects. In these areas, the school has not yet defined the essential knowledge effectively, which could hinder some pupils from achieving their full potential. This unfinalized approach restricts teachers' ability to build upon students' prior knowledge and may affect their overall understanding and attainment. Nonetheless, the overall environment remains positive, and the school strives to address these concerns as part of its ongoing improvement efforts.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and describe the school as kind and welcoming.
• Strong relationships between pupils and adults contribute to a safe and secure environment.
• High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND, lead to good academic achievement.
• Effective curriculum design in most subjects caters well to pupils’ diverse needs.
• Pupils demonstrate excellent behaviour and maturity in social situations.
• Strong emphasis on personal development and variety of enrichment activities.
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND enhance their learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects have an unfinalized curriculum that limits effective teaching.

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 Willowpark Primary Academy attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Willowpark Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Willowpark Primary Academy had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.3% 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, 21.7% of pupils at Willowpark Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 2024–25 Willowpark Primary Academy received £8,131 and spent £8,193 for each of its 220 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £249,000 (£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 Oldham · Oldham local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is Willowpark Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willowpark Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Willowpark Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Willowpark Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Willowpark Primary Academy have?

Willowpark Primary Academy has 226 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willowpark Primary Academy cover?

Willowpark Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Willowpark Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willowpark Primary Academy?

Willowpark Primary Academy is at Vulcan Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL1 4LJ.