Willow Park School, Sheffield
Willow Park School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 16 in Sheffield, part of Nexus Multi Academy Trust.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Willow Park School in detail
Willow Park School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "The staff at Willow Park work hard to provide the best possible care and education for children with social, emotional and mental health needs. All our children are unique individuals. We nurture their individuality through a personalised approach to their development."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, basketball, multi-sports, drama, cooking and forest school.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Willow Park School are Discovery Academy (0.1 miles); Seven Hills School (0.1 miles, Good); Seven Hills School (0.1 miles); and Freeman College (0.6 miles, Good).
Discovery AcademySeven Hills SchoolSeven Hills SchoolFreeman College
The trust
Willow Park School is one of 23 schools run by Nexus Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
86.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 1.1% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (78%) and Mixed (15%).
Almost every pupil at Willow Park School has an education, health and care plan (89 of 89 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Park Grange Croft to Halfway-Herdings, about 270 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Granville Road/Farm Bank Road (opposite), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1031 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Sheffield (267), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Willow Park School issued 16 suspensions, 17.6 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
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; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Willow Park School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in January 2025. Before that, as Heritage Park School (URN 126705), it was rated Requires Improvement in January 2023.
At a Glance
86.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Results at Heritage Park School before it took its current form in 2025 (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25Published for Heritage Park School (URN 126705), the school Willow Park School replaced. There are no figures for Willow Park School yet, so these are shown separately.
KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Results at Heritage Park School before it took its current form in 2025 (GCSE)
Academic year 2024/25Published for Heritage Park School (URN 126705), the school Willow Park School replaced. There are no figures for Willow Park School yet, so these are shown separately.
GCSE Results
2024/25 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -1.97 to -1.21 (2023 to 2024), while attainment 8 has declined from 1.60 to 0.80 (2023 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Willow Park School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Willow Park School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Willow Park School is in Sheffield; for families living there:
- Sheffield's school travel policy: Home to School Travel and Transport Policy September 2023
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 33
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 26 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
7 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 Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 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
89%
Available places
89 pupils
100 places
11 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Sheffield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sheffield
Across Sheffield council
Places available
6,421
Applications
6,416
Got 1st preference
88.7%
Got preferred school
96.6%
All secondary applications across Sheffield council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
89
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
89
Total Pupils
73
Boys
16
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
3.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,607
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
26.4%
Overall absence
53.1%
Persistent absence
96
Enrolments
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
Willow Park School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Willow Park School
Are there exam results for Willow Park School?
Willow Park School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, as Heritage Park School (URN 126705), its pupils had an average Attainment 8 score of 0.8 and 0% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above in the 2025 GCSE results.
What is Willow Park School's Ofsted rating?
Willow Park School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in January 2025. Before that, as Heritage Park School (URN 126705), it was rated Requires Improvement in January 2023.
What is the catchment area for Willow Park School?
No fixed boundary. When Willow Park School is oversubscribed, Sheffield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Willow Park School?
Willow Park School has around 89 pupils on roll. 87% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Willow Park School?
26.4% of sessions were missed at Willow Park School in 2024/25. 53.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Willow Park School?
Apply through Sheffield's coordinated admissions process, naming Willow 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 Willow Park School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 26 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 7 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 Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Willow Park School?
Willow Park School is at Norfolk Park Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S2 2RU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)