E-Act Parkwood Academy

About E-Act Parkwood Academy

E-Act Parkwood Academy is a popular choice among Sheffield families, with 290 applications for 177 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.64. Of those, 165 offers went to first-preference applicants out of 175 who put the school top of their list, suggesting strong local confidence. The school does not publish a parent-view recommendation percentage, but the demand speaks for itself. Headteacher Joel Hinchcliffe leads a mixed, non-religious secondary for 11- to 16-year-olds, with no sixth form. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in 2023, confirmed it remains Good, a notable improvement from its Requires Improvement rating in 2012. Leadership and management were also judged Good. With 52% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage, and its capacity of 930 currently holds 856 pupils.

Academically, the school’s Progress 8 score of -0.42 places it in the ‘Below average’ banding nationally, ranking 15th out of 29 secondary schools in Sheffield. This is very close to the local authority average of -0.4, so pupils here make roughly the same progress as peers across the city. Attainment 8 sits at 36.3, and 48.1% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, with 31.3% hitting the higher grade 5+ threshold. The EBacc average point score is 3.28, with 28.2% of pupils entering the EBacc suite and 16.8% achieving it at grade 5+. Progress in English (-0.54) and maths (-0.44) is broadly similar, though open subjects (-0.55) and the EBacc bucket (-0.28) show slight variation. Compared with the top-performing local schools like High Storrs (Progress 8 of 0.87), Parkwood is clearly in a different league, but it holds its own against the Sheffield average.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a swimming pool, sports hall, astro turf, science labs, art studios, and a chapel. Sports provision covers gymnastics, dance, tennis, football, and rowing, while clubs include Drama, Duke of Edinburgh, Choir, Chess, and Young Enterprise. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate to severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language issues, visual impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes it a practical choice for families whose children need additional support within a mainstream setting. The school is oversubscribed, so applying as a first preference is wise. It suits families who value a Good-rated, inclusive secondary with strong facilities and a clear improvement trajectory, particularly those in the Sheffield area looking for a non-selective state option without a sixth form.

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