Park House School

Park House School is a secondary comprehensive academy within the Greenshaw Learning Trust. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first inspection under section 5, with no previous section 5 grade. The school is performing strongly overall: pupils achieve exceptionally well through a broad, ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum, and pupils with SEND are identified and supported effectively so that they make excellent progress alongside their peers. Reading is promoted well, attendance is high, and pupils generally behave with exemplary conduct in calm and orderly routines. Sixth-form students receive an exceptional education and progress to ambitious destinations. The main concern is the small minority of pupils who find it difficult to comply with the school’s behaviour expectations. These pupils do not receive the targeted support they need to manage their behaviour positively, and some experience repeated suspensions that disrupt their education and risk further disengagement. A minor weakness is that some pupils do not know how to express their views through the school’s pupil leadership forum. Leadership is effective, with trustees and governors ensuring that improvements are sustainable and in pupils’ best interests. Staff generally welcome the consideration given to workload and well-being, parents are typically positive about the school’s high expectations, and safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve exceptionally well through a broad and ambitious curriculum.
• The curriculum is carefully designed and sequenced so pupils build knowledge incrementally.
• Teachers check understanding methodically and address misconceptions swiftly.
• Pupils with SEND receive effective support and make excellent progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils make excellent progress alongside their peers.
• Daily reading is well promoted, with effective support for pupils who need help.
• Sixth-form students receive an exceptional education and achieve very well.
• Students behave and study with impressive maturity and independence.
• Clear behaviour routines and high expectations create calm and order.
• Pupils attend very well and are punctual to lessons.
• Pupils are polite, kind and feel safe in school.
• Personal development is enriched through a comprehensive wider curriculum.
• Pupils learn about current affairs and challenging topics that prepare them for life.
• Careers education prepares pupils well for ambitious future options.
• Trustees and governors ensure leaders’ actions are sustainable and effective.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• A small minority of pupils do not receive the targeted support they need to manage their behaviour positively.
• Some pupils experience repeated suspensions, which disrupt their education and risk further disengagement.
• Some pupils do not know how to express their views through the pupil leadership forum.

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 House School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.7% 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, 12.4% of pupils at Park House School 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 House School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.2% 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, 14.7% of pupils at Park House School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.5% 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 House School received £8,139 and spent £8,191 for each of its 984 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £812,000 (£825 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Greenshaw Learning Trust, income was £8,062 and spending £7,907 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 Newbury · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

Park House School is part of Greenshaw Learning Trust, which runs 39 schools. The nearest others:

• Oakbank School Reading
• Hartland High School Reading
• Wildmoor Heath School Bracknell
• Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School Bracknell
• The Brakenhale School Bracknell
• Sandy Lane Primary School Bracknell
• Crown Wood Primary School Bracknell
• Broadwater School Godalming
• Henley Bank High School Gloucester
• Yate Academy Yate

What is Park House School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Park House School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Park House School last inspected by Ofsted?

Park House School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Park House School have?

Park House School has 981 pupils on roll.

What age range does Park House School cover?

Park House School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Park House School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.5, and 56% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Park House School?

Park House School is at 239 Andover Road, Newbury, RG14 6NQ.