Howard Park Community School, Cleckheaton
Howard Park Community School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Cleckheaton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 6 schools in Cleckheaton with published results, and 10,218th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.4 first-choice applications for every place. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kirklees (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Howard Park Community School in detail
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Howard Park Community School reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Kirklees and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (70% in reading, 70% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Howard Park Community School
For September 2026 entry, 41 families put Howard Park Community School as their first choice and 99 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 12 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Howard Park Community School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Howard Park Community School are Heaton Avenue, A Share Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 59% reading, 59% maths); Littletown Junior Infant and Nursery School (0.7 miles, Good, 84% reading, 76% maths); Hightown Junior Infant & Nursery School (0.9 miles, Good, 71% reading, 77% maths); and Hightown Primary School (0.9 miles).
Howard Park Community School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Heaton Avenue, A Share Primary AcademyLittletown Junior Infant and Nursery SchoolHightown Junior Infant & Nursery SchoolHightown Primary School
Who goes there
6.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%), Mixed (7%) and Asian (6%).
In 2026, 19 pupils (8.1%) received SEN support and 16 (6.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Howard Park Community School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Low Moor Rail Station, about 2.6 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Howard Park School (at), 170 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Howard Park Community School issued 2 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Howard Park Community School are Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy (0.8 miles); Spen Valley High School (1.3 miles); and BBG Academy (1.7 miles).
Whitcliffe Mount, A Share AcademySpen Valley High SchoolBBG Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from September 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2022 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Howard Park creates a nurturing environment where children feel safe and trusted. The school has made reading a real priority, with young children learning phonics from Reception and receiving support that helps them catch up quickly. The curriculum is ambitious and exciting, with trips, visitors and enrichment activities that bring learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on early reading with phonics taught from Reception and matched reading books helping younger pupils catch up quickly
- Ambitious and carefully thought-through curriculum with opportunities for trips, experiences and visitors that enrich learning
- Pupils develop positive attitudes towards learning and behave calmly and maturely around the school
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, identified quickly through rigorous processes
- Staff feel well supported by leaders with their workload and well-being considered
Areas for Improvement
- Reading support for older pupils in key stage 2 who are at early stages is not regular or precise enough - assessment of specific gaps in phonics knowledge needs improvement
- Support for these pupils should be more closely matched to their individual phonics needs
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with clear systems for reporting concerns that are followed up swiftly and rigorously, supported by strong relationships between staff, pupils and families.
Extracurricular Activities
Library slots with pupil librarians, school council, well-being ambassadors, class charity support, visits from faith leaders
Howard Park Community School continues to be a good school with strong relationships between pupils and staff creating a positive and nurturing atmosphere. Pupils feel safe, engaged in learning, and understand the school's values.
At a Glance
17.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 66% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.4
Avg class size
30.3
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Howard Park Community School
Term dates
Howard Park Community School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Kirklees. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February 2028)
- Summer term: Monday 24 April to Tuesday 25 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Howard Park Community School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Howard Park Community School is in Kirklees; for families living there:
- Kirklees's school travel policy: School transport
- How to apply: Apply for school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 35
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 26 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
4 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 Kirklees is 12 (the median across 203 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
Your chances of a place at Howard Park Community School
Will you get a place at Howard Park Community School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Howard Park Community School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Howard Park Community School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Howard Park Community School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kirklees, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Howard Park Community School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kirklees got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
205 pupils
210 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cleckheaton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cleckheaton
Across Kirklees council
Places available
5,437
Applications
4,554
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Kirklees council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
19
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
14.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
235
Total Pupils
121
Boys
114
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,362
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,578
Per pupil
£1294k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
16.5%
Persistent absence
182
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Howard Park Community School
Questions parents ask about Howard Park Community School
What are SATs results like at Howard Park Community School?
Of the pupils at Howard Park Community School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is Howard Park Community School's Ofsted rating?
Howard Park Community School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Howard Park Community School?
No fixed boundary. When Howard Park Community School is oversubscribed, Kirklees allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Howard Park Community School?
Howard Park Community School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Howard Park Community School?
Classes at Howard Park Community School average 29.4 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Howard Park Community School?
Howard Park Community School has around 235 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Howard Park Community School?
5.5% of sessions were missed at Howard Park Community School in 2024/25. 16.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Howard Park Community School?
Apply through Kirklees's coordinated admissions process, naming Howard Park Community School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
What are Howard Park Community School's term dates?
Howard Park Community School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Kirklees. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February 2028); Summer term: Monday 24 April to Tuesday 25 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Howard Park Community School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 26 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 4 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 Kirklees is 12 (the median across 203 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Howard Park Community School?
Howard Park Community School is at St. Peg Lane, Cleckheaton, BD19 3SA.
Sources: Kirklees term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)