Willow Park School, Rugby
Willow Park School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Rugby. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2026 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Willow Park School in detail
Willow Park School in its own words
In its own words: "At Willow Park, our curriculum is designed to meet the complex needs of pupils with autism, and significant communication challenges. We believe that every child is entitled to a curriculum that is: Individualised: rooted in each pupil's EHCP outcomes, sensory profile, and communication needs. Developmentally appropriate: aligned with pre-formal and informal learning pathways, not chronological age expectations."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Willow Park School are Brooke School (1.9 miles, Good); Quest Academy (2.3 miles, Good); and Avon Park School (2.8 miles, Outstanding).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Willow Park School has an education, health and care plan (12 of 12 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rugby Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Meadow Road (opposite), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 46 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Warwickshire (88).
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
- Part 1: quality of educationNot met
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementNot met
Progress-monitoring inspection, 4 March 2026: The school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Willow Park School has made significant improvements in how it teaches and supports pupils with special educational needs. The school now uses personalized curriculum pathways for each child, ensuring lessons are carefully planned to match what individual pupils can do. Staff are skilled at developing communication and building pupils' confidence throughout the day, both in structured lessons and through purposeful play-based learning.
Key Strengths
- Leaders have successfully embedded a new curriculum with clear pathways tailored to individual pupils' needs - based on their education, health and care plans and detailed assessments
- Staff interactions with pupils are effective, with a strong focus on developing communication skills and responding to pupils' attempts to communicate
- Play-based learning now has a clear curriculum structure that helps pupils develop confidence, choice-making and communication skills
- Teachers understand how to adapt lessons so each pupil can access the content based on their starting point, including encouraging older pupils to support their peers
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with proper pre-employment checks in place and the safeguarding policy available to parents and carers.
Willow Park School is a special school for pupils aged 5-11 with a range of needs including autism and speech, language and communication difficulties. Following previous inspection concerns, the school has now met all independent school standards checked during this progress monitoring inspection.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby schools
Social & online
Keep up with Willow Park School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 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
60%
Available places
12 pupils
20 places
8 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Rugby
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rugby
Across Warwickshire council
Places available
7,662
Applications
6,716
Got 1st preference
82.3%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Warwickshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Willow Park School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
12
Total Pupils
9
Boys
3
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Willow Park School
Questions parents ask about Willow Park School
What is Willow Park School's Ofsted rating?
Willow Park School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
Does Willow Park School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in December 2024, Willow Park School did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management). At a later progress-monitoring inspection in March 2026, the school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
How many pupils go to Willow Park School?
Willow Park School has around 12 pupils on roll.
Does Willow Park School have specialist SEN provision?
Willow Park School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Willow Park School?
Willow Park School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Willow Park School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Willow Park School?
Willow Park School is at Newbold-on-Avon Rfc, Parkfield Road, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 1EZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)