The Park School

The Park School is a special school for pupils aged 11–16 with moderate learning difficulties, all of whom have education, health and care (EHC) plans. In its first section 5 inspection, it was judged good in all four key areas—quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management—with effective safeguarding. Leaders, governors and trustees have high ambitions, staff morale is high, and parents are overwhelmingly positive; the school has strong trust oversight and has moved on from the inadequate judgement of its predecessor. Pupils are happy, safe and well behaved, and they benefit from a well-designed curriculum adapted to SEND and EHC plan targets, with reading a top priority and strong attendance. Personal development is a clear strength: pupils take part in clubs, trips, leadership roles, charity work and community-based life-skills activities, and careers guidance is well planned. The main area to improve is that teachers do not consistently help pupils link new learning to prior knowledge, so some pupils do not remember and secure important knowledge as well as they could. Otherwise, the report identifies no significant concerns.

Strengths

• A well-crafted curriculum across all subjects clearly sets out important knowledge and the order in which it should be taught.
• The curriculum is flexible and effectively adapted to pupils’ SEND and EHC plan targets.
• Staff work well with specialist staff and therapists to review and adjust provision for each pupil.
• Reading is a top priority, with pupils building reading and comprehension skills well and quick support for those who need to catch up.
• Pupils’ attendance is high, supported by robust systems and close work with families and agencies.
• Personal development is at the heart of the school’s work, including charity work, mature debate and community-based life skills.
• Pupils are courteous, well mannered and look forward to lessons.
• The careers programme is well thought out and provides independent, impartial guidance on future jobs and post-16 options.
• Leaders, governors and trustees have accurate oversight and provide effective support and challenge.
• Staff morale is high, and staff value the support and training provided by the trust.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, trips and leadership opportunities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers sometimes do not check prior knowledge or help pupils make links with what they have already learned.
• Some pupils do not remember and secure important knowledge as well as they could.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Park School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 17.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

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, 10.8% of pupils at The Park School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). 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 The Park School had 5.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

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 The Park School had 110 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; profound and multiple learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; hearing impairment; vision impairment; multi-sensory impairment; physical disability; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

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

In 2024–25 The Park School received £25,669 and spent £24,314 for each of its 111 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £283,000 (£2,551 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Weydon Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,210 and spending £8,089 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 Woking · Surrey local authority: places and applications

The Park School is part of Weydon Multi Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Tomlinscote School Camberley
• Frimley CofE School Camberley
• The Sixth Form College Farnborough Farnborough
• St Mark's Church of England Primary School Farnborough
• Frogmore Community College Yateley
• William Cobbett Primary School Farnham
• Rodborough Godalming
• Farnham Heath End Farnham
• The Abbey School Farnham
• The Ridgeway School Farnham

What is The Park School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was The Park School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Park School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does The Park School have?

The Park School has 110 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Park School cover?

The Park School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

Where is The Park School?

The Park School is at Onslow Crescent, Woking, Surrey, GU22 7AT.