Willowpark Primary Academy, Oldham
Willowpark Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Oldham, part of South Pennine Academies. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 47th-highest of the 68 schools in Oldham with published results, and 11,173rd of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Oldham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Willowpark Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils at Willowpark Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 74% in Oldham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 76% in reading and 71% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Willowpark Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Willowpark Primary Academy as their first choice and 44 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Willowpark Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Willowpark Primary Academy are St Theresa's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.2 miles); St. Theresa's RC Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 76% reading, 80% maths); Mayfield Primary School (0.2 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 72% maths); and Woodlands Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 60% reading, 64% maths).
Willowpark Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
St Theresa's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademySt. Theresa's RC Primary SchoolMayfield Primary SchoolWoodlands Primary Academy
The trust
Willowpark Primary Academy is one of 10 schools run by South Pennine Academies, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
49.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 49 pupils (21.7%) received SEN support and 7 (3.1%) 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
Willowpark Primary Academy had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Derker (Manchester Metrolink), about 670 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Whetstone Hill Road (near), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Willowpark Primary Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Willowpark Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Willowpark Primary Academy are The Blue Coat CofE School (0.8 miles), E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy (1 mile) and Co-op Academy Strinesdale (1 mile).
The Blue Coat CofE SchoolE-ACT Royton and Crompton AcademyCo-op Academy Strinesdale
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2019, 7 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
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2019 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
49.1%
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 declined from 76% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.3
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Willowpark Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Willowpark Primary Academy.
- Sparkles2340m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Willowpark Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Willowpark Primary Academy is in Oldham; for families living there:
Apply to Oldham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
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.
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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 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 Willowpark Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Willowpark Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Willowpark Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Willowpark Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Willowpark Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oldham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Willowpark Primary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Oldham 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
190 pupils
210 places
20 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Oldham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oldham
Across Oldham council
Places available
3,927
Applications
2,814
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Oldham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
49
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
24.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
226
Total Pupils
120
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
17.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,223
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,592
Per pupil
£1432k
Total funding
£168k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
21.5%
Persistent absence
177
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
Willowpark Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Willowpark Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Willowpark Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Willowpark Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 66% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is Willowpark Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Willowpark Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Willowpark Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Willowpark Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Oldham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Willowpark Primary Academy?
Willowpark Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Willowpark Primary Academy?
Classes at Willowpark Primary Academy average 21.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Willowpark Primary Academy?
Willowpark Primary Academy has around 226 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Willowpark Primary Academy?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Willowpark Primary Academy in 2024/25. 21.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Willowpark Primary Academy?
Apply through Oldham's coordinated admissions process, naming Willowpark Primary Academy 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.
Does Willowpark Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Willowpark Primary Academy: Sparkles2 (340m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Willowpark Primary Academy?
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. 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Willowpark Primary Academy?
Willowpark Primary Academy is at Vulcan Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL1 4LJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)