High Park School, Bradford
High Park School is a special school for pupils aged 3 to 19 in Bradford, part of Carlton Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
High Park School in detail
High Park School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "It is a great pleasure and privilege to welcome you to High Park School. We are a successful, specialist school for children and young people 3 -19 where we pride ourselves on providing a safe and dynamic learning environment for pupils who have complex needs arising from communication and interaction difficulties, autism, and severe learning needs."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to High Park School are Chellow Heights Special School (under 0.1 miles, Good); Prism Independent School (1.6 miles, Good); Hazelbeck Special School (1.8 miles, Outstanding); and School of Rock & Media Ltd (3 miles).
Chellow Heights Special SchoolPrism Independent SchoolHazelbeck Special SchoolSchool of Rock & Media Ltd
The trust
High Park School is one of 8 schools run by Carlton Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
17 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about High Park School (as of September 2025): 82% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 9 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms.
Who goes there
45.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 28.9% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (47%), White British (35%) and Mixed (7%).
Almost every pupil at High Park School has an education, health and care plan (135 of 135 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
High Park School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 100 places, 145 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Frizinghall Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School Services (stand a), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood High Park School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 243 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bradford (404).
Suspensions and exclusions
High Park School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
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
45.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism, SLD +1
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
17 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from High Park School
High Park School Community Walks 796 Miles and Raises Nearly £2,000
23 Jul 2026
🌟 High Park School Sponsored Walk Week 🌟
1 May 2026
A Wonderfully Festive Week at High Park!
World Book Day brings stories to life at High Park School 📚✨
From High Park School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with High Park School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to High Park School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. High Park School is in Bradford; for families living there:
- Bradford's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy for children of compulsory school age
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 32
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 16
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 22 slight.
16 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 9 on foot and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
135%
Over capacity
135 pupils
100 places
35 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bradford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bradford
Across Bradford council
Places available
7,308
Applications
7,489
Got 1st preference
78.1%
Got preferred school
94.4%
All secondary applications across Bradford council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
135
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
High Park School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 100 places, 145 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
135
Total Pupils
104
Boys
31
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
9.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,251
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.8%
Overall absence
25.5%
Persistent absence
94
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
High Park School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about High Park School
What is High Park School's Ofsted rating?
High Park School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for High Park School?
No fixed boundary. When High Park School is oversubscribed, Bradford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to High Park School?
High Park School has around 135 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
Does High Park School have specialist SEN provision?
High Park School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 100 places, 145 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at High Park School?
7.8% of sessions were missed at High Park School in 2024/25. 25.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to High Park School?
Apply through Bradford's coordinated admissions process, naming High Park School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near High Park School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 22 slight. 16 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 9 on foot and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Where is High Park School?
High Park School is at Thorn Lane, Heaton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD9 6RY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)