High Park School, Bradford

Good
Special
Academy special sponsor led
Mixed
Ages 319

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Bridie Dorning
Pupils:135 / 100 capacity
LA:Bradford
Phone:01274614092
Address:Thorn Lane, Heaton, Bradford, BD9 6RY
Trust:CARLTON ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 April 2017

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:143533
UKPRN:10061614
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Bradford West
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

High Park School excels at creating a caring, supportive environment where pupils with complex needs thrive. Staff are highly skilled at adapting teaching to meet individual needs, and the school provides outstanding opportunities for personal development, independence skills and preparing pupils for adult life. Pupils benefit from specialist resources, therapies and a strong focus on communication and life skills.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent focus on developing pupils' communication and interaction skills through reading, phonics, and multiple communication methods
  • Strong personal development support with a wide variety of enrichment activities that build independence and social skills
  • Effective SEND support with well-trained staff who understand individual pupil needs and collaborate with families and professionals
  • Strong preparation for next steps in education, employment and training with work experience opportunities
  • Positive behaviour management creating a calm, orderly learning environment

Areas for Improvement

  • Some curriculum pathways are not ambitious enough, particularly for pupils able to take formal qualifications
  • Certain subject areas lack clearly defined key knowledge that pupils should learn
  • Some lesson activities and classroom resources distract pupils from intended learning rather than supporting it

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular Activities

Aromatherapy, art, dance, swimming, community café work experience, faith event celebrations

High Park School is a special school serving pupils aged 3-19 with complex SEND needs including autism and severe learning difficulties. The school has maintained good standards and provides a highly supportive, inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and happy.

At a Glance

47.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

17 responses
Would recommend82%
Child is happy82%
Well taught82%
Good progress82%
Feels safe88%
Well behaved77%
Bullying dealt with12%
Kept informed82%
Handles concerns59%
Wider development88%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

School Services (Stand A)
205m · 3 min walk
Belle Vue Girls School
216m · 4 min walk
Bingley Rd Thorn Lane (adj)
233m · 4 min walk
Bingley Rd Ryelands Grove (adj)
236m · 4 min walk
Heaton School
309m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

135%

Over capacity

135 pupils

100 capacity

35 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Bradford

Low pressure
New homes approved:9,205
Projected new pupils:1,657

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bradford

Admissions Demand - Bradford

Low demand1.05x oversubscription

Places available

7,315

Applications

7,685

Got 1st preference

77.4%

Got preferred school

93.7%

Secondary admissions across Bradford (2025/26)

Inspection History(103)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

7.79378%

Overall absence

25.53191%

Persistent absence

94

Enrolments

Authorised5.98734%
Unauthorised1.80644%
Persistent (10%+)25.53191%
Severe (50%+)5.31915%

Absence trend

6.35814%
18/19
11.39953%
20/21
10.07863%
21/22
10.61158%
22/23
11.6031%
23/24
7.79378%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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