Oaks Park High School, Carshalton Review 2026: Inclusive Sutton secondary with a strong improvement story

Oaks Park High School is a mixed 11 to 18 secondary in the London Borough of Sutton, part of Cheam Academies Network, serving a broad comprehensive intake. It is a large school, with capacity for 1,406 pupils, and a sixth form that sits within the main school rather than operating as a separate college.

The most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out on 12 and 13 October 2023, judged the school Good across all inspected areas, including sixth form provision.

For families, the central question is fit. This is a school that aims to combine clear expectations, improving culture, and inclusive practice (including a specialist resourced provision for autism) with the reality that headline GCSE and A level outcomes sit below England averages in the latest published dataset. That combination will appeal strongly to some pupils and parents, particularly those prioritising wellbeing, relationships, and a school that is still building depth and consistency across subjects.

The tone set by leadership emphasises belonging and improvement. Pupils are described as happy, well looked after, and confident that the school has improved over time, supported by staff who know pupils well and build positive relationships. Bullying is described as rare, and, when it occurs, handled seriously. Behaviour is generally orderly, with most pupils focusing well in lessons and responding to clear expectations.

A distinctive feature is how pupil voice is positioned. There is an explicit example of Year 7 pupils working with leaders through the “make a change” project to improve the range of healthy options available in the canteen. That kind of structured participation matters because it teaches pupils that feedback can translate into visible changes, not just surveys that disappear into a filing cabinet.

The inclusion story is not generic. The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities that caters for autism, alongside wider SEND training for staff and the use of “pupil passports” so teachers have practical information to adapt learning. This points to a school where inclusion is built into day to day teaching, not only handled through referrals and withdrawal.

The published GCSE picture is challenging in a way parents should understand clearly and without spin. The school’s GCSE outcomes sit below England averages across several headline measures in the latest dataset, and the overall position in England is in the lower band. In FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking, Oaks Park High School is ranked 3,249th in England and 15th in Sutton for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), which places it below England average overall. This is the kind of context that helps parents compare local options using a like for like framework.

On attainment, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 38.3. Its Progress 8 score is -0.54, which indicates pupils, on average, make below expected progress from their starting points compared with similar pupils nationally in England. EBacc indicators are also low with 6% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure, and an average EBacc APS of 3.33 versus the England average of 4.08.

At A level, the published picture is also below England averages. In FindMySchool’s A level ranking, Oaks Park High School is ranked 2,348th in England and 13th in Sutton for A level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), again placing it below England average overall. The A level grade distribution shows 0% A*, 12.38% at A, 9.52% at B, and 21.9% at A* to B, compared with an England benchmark of 47.2% at A* to B.

How should families interpret that? The practical implication is that pupils who are already highly self directed and academically secure may need to be proactive in making the most of what is offered, while pupils who benefit from very consistent, high challenge teaching in every subject should probe carefully during visits and conversations, asking where curriculum depth is strongest and how the school is tightening consistency in behaviour routines and classroom expectations.

To help with comparisons, FindMySchool’s local hub pages and comparison tools can be useful for viewing GCSE and A level measures alongside other Sutton secondaries, particularly if you are weighing travel, admissions likelihood, and academic priorities at the same time.

The curriculum intent is ambitious and structured. Across Years 7 to 13, teaching is designed to build knowledge over time, with frequent opportunities to revisit key concepts so pupils remember and apply what they have learned rather than treating topics as one off units. Teachers are described as having strong subject knowledge, and assessment is used to select tasks and resources that help pupils apply learning, including in the sixth form.

There are also clear next steps. A stated area for development is that a small number of subjects lack curriculum depth, which can limit how far pupils build a deep body of knowledge and skills. Parents of academically ambitious pupils should ask, subject by subject, how curriculum planning is being strengthened in Years 7 to 9, and what additional challenge looks like for pupils who are ready to move faster.

Language uptake is another important detail. EBacc entry is low and the school identifies modern foreign language take up as a key driver, with curriculum review work under way to increase participation. For families who prioritise language learning as part of a broad academic diet, it is worth asking what options are available at Key Stage 3 and GCSE, and how the school is building confidence and motivation in languages over time.

Where Students Go Next

Oaks Park is a school with sixth form, but it is not one where published destination statistics suggest a dominant “university pipeline” narrative. The available leavers destination data for the 2023/24 cohort indicates a mixed set of next steps: 36% progressed to university, 6% to further education, 4% to apprenticeships, and 36% to employment, with a cohort size of 47.

For students, that range can be a strength if it is matched by strong guidance and a careers programme that treats academic and technical routes with equal seriousness. The school’s careers programme is described as covering future options including apprenticeships, and students in the sixth form are described as having positive attitudes, high attendance, and being prepared effectively for next steps.

Given the data, parents considering sixth form should focus less on prestige narratives and more on practical questions: subject viability and class sizes, how the school supports retakes if needed, how it prepares students for competitive courses, and what employer links or technical route guidance looks like in practice.

Admission for Year 7 is coordinated through Sutton’s secondary transfer process. Sutton’s published guidance for September 2026 transfer sets out key timings that matter for families planning visits and applications: the common application form opens from 1 September 2025, with a closing date of 31 October 2025, and applicants can view outcomes on the evening of 2 March 2026.

Demand has been high in recent cycles. Sutton’s published material lists a Published Admissions Number of 210 and records 807 applications received for September 2024 entry. That level of demand means families should treat admission as competitive and should plan realistically if they are outside the likely allocation range.

Sutton’s guidance also lists an open evening date for Oaks Park High School of Wednesday 24 September (for the September 2026 transfer cycle), timed 5.30pm to 8.30pm. As with all open events, dates can change year to year, so parents should still check the school and local authority updates as the season approaches.

If you are trying to gauge admission likelihood, use a precise distance check rather than relying on anecdotal boundaries. FindMySchool’s map based distance tools are designed for exactly this kind of shortlisting, particularly in boroughs where popularity can shift quickly from one year to the next.

Pastoral practice appears grounded in relationships and structure. Staff are described as knowing pupils well, building positive relationships, and treating bullying concerns seriously. The personal, social, health and economic education programme is described as covering online safety and mental health in an age appropriate way, which is increasingly central for secondary families assessing readiness and resilience.

Attendance is treated as a priority, with systems to identify and address absence quickly. That matters not only for results, but also for safeguarding and wider wellbeing, especially for pupils who can drift if routines are not tight.

Ofsted also confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Enrichment is positioned as a real part of school life rather than an optional extra for a small subset. Pupils are described as taking part in a range of clubs and trips to develop interests and talents, spanning sport, arts, books, and crafts.

Two specific examples help this feel tangible. First, the school offers chess as part of its extra curricular programme, a useful indicator for families whose children enjoy structured, thinking based activities and competitive fixtures. Second, the Year 7 “make a change” project shows a non sporting route to leadership and contribution, centred on improving everyday school experience and developing confidence in collaboration with adults.

Trips and visits also matter in a school where destinations are mixed. Students are described as undertaking national and international educational visits to places such as universities, art galleries and museums. For some pupils, particularly those without extensive cultural capital at home, these experiences can be a genuine accelerator, turning abstract ideas about “next steps” into concrete ambitions.

Oaks Park High School is located in Carshalton within the London Borough of Sutton, and travel for many families will involve a mix of walking routes and local public transport connections.

School day start and finish times, and any structured before school or after school supervision, were not clearly published in the official sources reviewed here. Families who need wraparound solutions should ask directly about supervised study, homework clubs, and any paid after school provision, particularly for Year 7 and Year 8 pupils.

• Academic outcomes sit below England averages in the latest published measures. The Attainment 8 score of 38.3 and Progress 8 score of -0.54 indicate pupils, on average, make below expected progress compared with similar pupils nationally in England. Families with very high academic ambitions should ask for subject level detail and how the school is tightening consistency.

• Curriculum depth is not yet consistent in every subject. A small number of areas are described as lacking depth, which can limit how securely pupils build knowledge and skills, especially in Key Stage 3 where foundations matter.

• EBacc and language participation is a known challenge. The school identifies modern foreign language take up as a key driver of low EBacc participation and is reviewing its approach. If languages are a priority for your child, probe options early.

• Admission is competitive. Sutton reports 807 applications for 210 Year 7 places for September 2024 entry, and the September 2026 cycle has fixed deadlines that are easy to miss if you start late.

Oaks Park High School is best understood as a large, inclusive Sutton secondary with a clear improvement narrative, strengthening culture, and a Good inspection profile across all areas as of October 2023.

It suits students who value supportive relationships, clear expectations, and a school that takes pupil voice and SEND practice seriously, including those who may benefit from autism resourced provision. It may be a tougher fit for families seeking consistently high academic outcomes across every subject without having to probe for where the strongest pockets of provision sit.

For families who secure a place, the offer is grounded and pragmatic. The main hurdle is getting in, and then making the most of the opportunities that are available.