Park Lane School, Macclesfield
Park Lane School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Macclesfield. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Park Lane School in detail
Park Lane School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, multi-sports and film.
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Where pupils go next
Of the 7 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms.
Who goes there
45.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 8.6% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%), Mixed (7%) and Asian (5%).
Almost every pupil at Park Lane School has an education, health and care plan (151 of 151 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Park Lane School provides for pupils with visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Macclesfield Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Flower Pot (opposite), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 308 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cheshire East (61), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Park Lane School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Personal development, Leadership & management, Sixth form.
At a Glance
45.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Vision, Hearing, Speech and language +6
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby schools
Keep up with Park Lane School
Before and after school care
Park Lane School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Cheshire East
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Park Lane School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Park Lane School is in Cheshire East; for families living there:
- Cheshire East's school travel policy: Compulsory school age travel policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 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
101%
Over capacity
151 pupils
150 places
1 pupil over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Macclesfield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Macclesfield
Across Cheshire East council
Places available
4,404
Applications
4,072
Got 1st preference
93.1%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Cheshire East council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
151
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Park Lane School provides for pupils with visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
151
Total Pupils
101
Boys
50
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
6.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,389
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.1%
Overall absence
34.3%
Persistent absence
105
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
Park Lane School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Park Lane School
What are GCSE results like at Park Lane School?
In the 2025 results, pupils at Park Lane School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 0.7. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Park Lane School's Ofsted rating?
Park Lane School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2020 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Park Lane School?
No fixed boundary. When Park Lane School is oversubscribed, Cheshire East allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Park Lane School?
Park Lane School has around 151 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Park Lane School have specialist SEN provision?
Park Lane School provides for pupils with visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Park Lane School?
11.1% of sessions were missed at Park Lane School in 2024/25. 34.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Park Lane School?
Apply through Cheshire East's coordinated admissions process, naming Park Lane 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.
Does Park Lane School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Park Lane School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Park Lane School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Park Lane School?
Park Lane School is at Park Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 8JR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)