Sheffield schools: These are city’s biggest, busiest secondary schools with thousands of pupils at a time

Sheffield's schools have never been busier and many are now caring for thousands of pupils at a time. Figures obtained by The Star show how two-thirds of Sheffield's secondary schools were the busiest they've ever been in the 2022/23 academic year. Out of the city's 12 busiest secondary schools, each of which looks after more than 1,000 students, last year saw their classrooms fuller than they've ever been.

They include Forge Valley School, which has grown its student population by 134 up to 1,249 pupils since 2018, and Westfield School, which has grown by 116 students to 1,245 in the same period, The busiest school in Sheffield by far is Ecclesfield School, which last year saw 1,711 in its corridors. This, too, is the busiest it's ever been.

And figures previously published by The Star already show how, for the 2022/23 academic year, only 18 out of Sheffield 121 schools were not oversubscribed, with as many as three children vying for every seat in the classroom and the most in-demand schools. Below is a ranking of the busiest schools in Sheffield according to which had the biggest student cohorts in 2022/23, including if it is the busiest it has been in the past five years.

1. #1 - Ecclesfield School

The biggest student cohort in Sheffield in 2023 was Ecclesfield School, in Chapeltown Road, with 1,711 pupils. This was also the busiest it had been in five years.

The least busy in the past five years was in 2021/22 when it had 1,681. It was rated 'Good' by Ofsted in 2022. Photo: Google Maps

2. #2 - Meadowhead School Academy Trust

The second biggest student cohort in Sheffield in 2023 was Meadowhead School, in Dyche Road, with 1,639 pupils. This was also the busiest it had been in five years.

The least busy it has been in the past five years was in 2019/20, when it had 1,585 pupils. It was rated 'Good' by Ofsted in 2022. Photo: google MAps

3. #3 - Tapton School

The third biggest student cohort in Sheffield in 2023 was Tapton School, in Darwin Lane with 1,352 pupils. This was also the busiest it had been in five years.

The least busy it has been in the past five years was in 2018/19, when it had 1,267 pupils. It was rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted in 2013. Photo: Google Maps

4. #4 - Forge Valley School

The fourth biggest student cohort in Sheffield in 2023 was Forge Valley School, in Wood Lane, with 1,249 pupils. This was also the busiest it had been in five years.

The least busy it has been in the past five years was in 2018/19, when it had 1,115, meaning it has had an astonishing growth of over 134 pupils in the past five years.

It was rated 'Good' by Ofsted in 2019. Photo: Forge Valley School