Penketh Primary School

Ofsted: Good · Mar 2023
Ages 4 to 11
Warrington WA5
207 pupils

In short: a popular primary academy, in a better-off part of the area. Ofsted rated it Good in 2023. Recent results and attendance are above average.

Young children sitting together at a classroom table

A red-brick school building under a blue sky

Eduscope rank score

How it ranks in England

A score out of 100 against schools of the same phase, from Ofsted, results and attendance.

Ofsted, against other schoolsMiddle
Ahead of about 46% of primary schools.
Met the standard at 11Top fifth
Ahead of about 86% of primary schools.
AttendanceTop fifth
Ahead of about 88% of primary schools.
Higher standard at 11High
Ahead of about 62% of primary schools.
Reading and maths scoresTop fifth
Ahead of about 84% of primary schools.

DfE and Ofsted dataHow we work this out

Good to know

Good in all 5 areas at its last graded inspection.
In demand. In 2026, 33 families put it first and 30 of them got a place. It made 30 Reception offers in all.
Results above average. 81% met the standard. England: 62%.

Worth checking

Hard to get into. 33 families put it first, and it made 30 offers.
In deficit: £22,000 overspent at the last count.

Check my chances

OfstedGoodMar 2023, 3 years ago
Met the standard at 1181%Warrington 68% · England 62%
Reception, 202630 of 33first choices got a place
Free school meals10%Warrington 24%
Pupils207Room for 210
Days missed3.6%About 7 days a year

Then and now

Good in 2023

Ofsted rated the school Outstanding in 2009. 14 years later it was Good.

Every Ofsted visit

Ofsted inspects every state school every few years. Choose a year to see what they found.

Good or better at all 3 graded inspections since 2007.

Became an academy in August 2016. Earlier inspections are of Penketh Community Primary School.

What Ofsted found in March 2023

SafeguardingEffective
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
LeadershipGood
Early yearsGood

Read the 2023 report on Ofsted

How the school compares now with 2022-23
Measure	2022-23	Now
Ofsted grade	Good	Good
Met the standard at 11	63%	81%
Pupils	213	207

The four grades, in plain English

Outstanding: Much better than the minimum.
Good: Meets every standard well.
Requires improvement: Not yet good. Ofsted will be back soon.
Inadequate: Serious problems that must be fixed.

Results

How children do by age 11

At the end of Year 6, children take national tests (called SATs) in reading, writing and maths. Latest results: summer 2025.

About 8 in 10 children met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths

Expected standard means a child is ready for secondary school work in all three subjects. 2025 tests.

81 out of every 100 Year 6 children

Penketh81%

Warrington68%

England62%

32 pupils took these tests in 2025, so one child is about 3 percentage points.

Against 4,430 primary schools with a similar share of children on free school meals (5% to 15%), it's ahead of about 78% on the expected standard over recent years.

Test scores, 2025

100 means the child met the standard. The highest possible is 120.

Reading110

England106

Maths108

England105

Grammar and spelling: 94% met the standard (England 73%).

Every result, year by yearEach England row is the figure for the same year.

	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
Pupils tested	32	32	32	–	–	–	26	31
Met the expected standard	81%	84%	63%	–	–	–	88%	81%
England	62%	61%	60%				65%	64%
Higher standard	6%	16%	3%	–	–	–	12%	3%
England	8%	8%	8%				11%	10%
Reading score	110	108	103	–	–	–	105	108
England	106	105	105				104	105
Maths score	108	107	107	–	–	–	110	105
England	105	104	104				105	104
Grammar and spelling	94%	91%	88%	–	–	–	100%	94%
England	73%	72%	72%				78%	78%
Disadvantaged pupils	4	4	6	–	–	–	4	2
Disadvantaged, expected standard	–	–	33%	–	–	–	–	–
England			44%
Other pupils, expected standard	–	–	69%	–	–	–	–	–
England			66%
Reading progress	–	–	-0.5	–	–	–	+1.5	+1.2
Writing progress	–	–	+1.5	–	–	–	+3.4	-2.3
Maths progress	–	–	+0.3	–	–	–	+4.8	-1

The expected standard is the level the government expects at the end of Year 6, in reading, writing and maths together. The higher standard is well above it. Scores run from 80 to 120, and 100 meets the expected standard.

Disadvantaged pupils are those on free school meals in the last 6 years, or in care. Each group's England row is the same group across England. Small groups swing a lot from year to year, and a dash means DfE published no figure, often to protect small groups.

Progress compares children with others who started from the same point, and 0 is average. There are no scores after 2023, because the Year 2 tests they're measured from were cancelled in Covid.

Source: DfE, Find school and college performance data.

There were no national tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid. Tests came back in 2022, but DfE didn't publish school results for that year.

Penketh among primary schools in Warrington

Each dot is one school, placed by the share of children meeting the expected standard.

Penketh is higher than 55 of 66 other Warrington state primary schools in 2025.

Getting in

Could your child get a place?

In 2026 some families who put Penketh first didn't get a place. Every place went to a family who put it as their first choice.

86 families applied and 30 were offered Reception places

Families list several schools, so this counts every family who listed it, not only those who put it first. 33 families put it first, and 3 of them didn't get a place.

● 30 places: each figure is about 10◌ 3 first choices without a place

Over the last 3 rounds, 81 of 86 families who put it first got a place (94%). Room for 210 suggests about 30 places a year. The exact number is in the school's admissions policy.

Demand has stayed steady in 12 years

Applications each year. The black line is how many places were offered.

114

113

105

ApplicationsPlaces offered

Who gets a place first

When there are more children than places, most schools give places in an order like this. Check the school's own policy.

1Children in care, or who used to be
2Children with a brother or sister already at the school
3Everyone else, closest first

How close do you need to live? Ask the council for Warrington for the last distance offered. Many councils publish it each year, but there's no national file, so we don't hold it.

If you don't get a place: you can appeal. In Warrington, 10 of the 26 appeals heard for places from September 2025 succeeded. Across England, 15% did.

A parent walking two children along the pavement

Three children with backpacks crossing a street

Applying for September 2027

These dates are for the next round. The figures above are for children who started in September 2026.

Now
Open days run in the autumn. Ask the school for dates.
15 Jan 2027
Deadline to apply to the council for Warrington.
16 Apr 2027
Offers day. You'll hear from the council.
Sep 2027
Your child starts Reception.

Applications and offers, year by yearEach England row is for the same year and kind of school.

	2026	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Applications	86	75	73	86	91	84	75	105	87	113	114	84	88
First choices	33	27	26	19	39	32	28	37	21	51	51	29	34
Offers made	30	28	30	27	30	30	30	30	23	30	30	30	30
Offers to first choices	30	26	25	19	30	29	27	28	21	29	30	28	30
First choices who got a place	91%	96%	96%	100%	77%	91%	96%	76%	100%	57%	59%	97%	88%
England	92%	93%	93%	93%	92%	92%	90%	91%	91%	90%	88%	88%	88%

Each year is the September children started. A first choice is a family who put the school first on their form. Offers are those made on national offer day, so later moves aren't counted. They can differ from the school's full number of places, which is in its admissions policy.

Source: DfE, Applications and offers.

Figures up to 2016 include Penketh Community Primary School, the school it replaced.

Day to day

Life at Penketh

The average child misses about 7 days a year

That's 3.6% of the school year, for any reason including illness. And 1 in 19 children (5%) missed at least 1 day in 10, which counts as persistently absent. Warrington: 9%. England, primary schools: about 13%.

In schoolMissed

No pupils were suspended in 2024/25

Across England, similar schools: 1.1%. No permanent exclusions.

Before and after schoolWe don't hold club times. Ask the school.

Pupils

Who goes to Penketh

A steady school: 206 pupils in 2018, 207 now.

Year 6, in darker blue, is the year group that sits the tests at 11.

49% girls51% boys

Ethnic background

85% White British · 5% Chinese · 2% Pakistani · 2% Mixed Other · 6% in smaller groups

9.7%
Free school meals
Children from lower-income families. The school gets extra money to support them.
Warrington23.6%
11.6%
English as an additional language
Children who speak another language at home. It says nothing about how well they speak English.
Warrington18.4%
13.5%
Special educational needs
Children with special educational needs, with or without an EHC plan.
Main needs recorded (pupils)
- Speech, language and communication10
- Social, emotional and mental health10
- Specific learning difficulty3
Warrington18.2%
1.9%
EHC plan
Children with a legal plan for more complex needs (an Education, Health and Care plan).

Pupils and attendance, year by yearEach England row is for the same year and kind of school.

	2026	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Pupils on roll	207	208	210	213	213	194	–	198	206	–	–	–	–
Days missed	–	3.6%	4%	4.2%	4.5%	3.4%	–	3.3%	3.3%	3%	2.9%	3.3%	2.7%
England		5.2%	5.5%	5.9%	6.3%	3.7%		4%	4.2%	4%	4%	4%	3.9%
Often absent	–	5.4%	7%	4.8%	8.1%	6.3%	–	3.4%	3.4%	3.4%	5%	3.9%	3.4%
England		13%	14.5%	16.2%	17.7%	8.8%		8.2%	8.7%	8.3%	8.2%	8.4%	8%

Each year is the school year ending that summer, so 2025 means 2024-25. Days missed is the share of school sessions missed for any reason. Often absent is the share of pupils missing at least 1 day in 10.

Source: DfE, school census and pupil absence.

Attendance for 2026 isn't published yet.

2021 attendance was shaped by Covid, so read it with care.

There are no 2020 figures: Covid stopped the attendance count, and we don't hold that year's pupil numbers.

Our pupil numbers start in 2018.

Figures up to 2016 include Penketh Community Primary School, the school it replaced.

Open day

What to ask when you visit

Based on what the data says about Penketh. Take this list with you.

1“How are you dealing with the deficit?”The school was £22,000 in deficit at the last count.
2“How do you support children who need extra help?”13.5% of pupils have special educational needs here.

Nearby

Other primary schools nearby

Popular schools fill up, so it's wise to list more than one. Here's how Penketh compares with its neighbours.

See all Warrington primaries

Ofsted: GoodYou're here

Penketh Primary School

WA5 2QY · Academy Converter · 207 pupils

Met the standard: 81%
Days missed: 3.6%
Pupils per teacher: 23.5

Ofsted: Good

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

WA5 2AU · State · Primary · Ages 4–11

Met the standard: 77%
Days missed: 3.8%
Pupils per teacher: 26.1

Ofsted: Good in every area

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

WA5 2PN · State · Primary · Ages 3–11

Met the standard: 65%
Days missed: 3.6%
Pupils per teacher: 14.2

Ofsted: Good

Penketh South Community Primary School

WA5 2PN · Academy · Primary · Ages 2–11

Met the standard: 52%
Days missed: 4.0%
Pupils per teacher: 22.0

Keep an eye on Penketh

We'll email you when there's a new Ofsted report, new results or new admissions figures. Nothing else.

Staff and money

Teachers, and what the school spends

1 teacher for every 24 children

Children per teacher across the whole school, not class size. Warrington: 20.8. England, primary schools: 20.7. Counting teaching assistants and other support staff, there's 1 adult for every 16 children.

Average class: 30 children.

8.8teachers (full-time equivalent)

4.1teaching assistants

100%of teachers fully qualified

Pupils in a classroom while their teacher presents

Staff, year by yearEach England row is for the same year and kind of school.

	2026	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011
Pupils per teacher	23.5	24.2	22.8	25.4	26.6	24.3	20.5	24.8	20.6	24.1	24.9	22.7	23.4	24.6	21.8	22.2
England	20.7	20.8	20.8	20.7	20.6	20.6	20.9	20.9	20.9	20.6	20.5	20.4	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.5
Teachers (full-time)	8.8	8.6	9.2	8.4	8	8	9.2	8	10	8.6	8.3	9.2	8.6	8.2	9.4	9.4
Teaching assistants	4.1	5.3	5.8	7	6.5	6.5	7.1	7.3	7.8	5.8	5.2	4.8	4.6	4.3	4.3	–
Qualified teachers	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Each year is the November staff count of that school year, so 2025 means 2024-25. Pupils per teacher covers the whole school, not class size. Full-time counts two half-time teachers as one. Qualified means holding qualified teacher status.

Source: DfE, School workforce in England.

Figures up to 2016 include Penketh Community Primary School, the school it replaced.

£5,861 spent on each child a year

2024 to 2025. Up from £3,608 in 2015. Warrington: £6,808. England, primary schools, 2024-25: £7,039.

Staff (teachers, assistants and others)£4,25573%
Buildings and grounds£4097%
Everything else: books, IT, food, supplies£1,19720%

Money in: £6,327
Spent: £5,861

These are the school's own accounts, not the whole of Warrington Primary Academy Trust. They leave out what the trust spends centrally, so compare with other schools with care. In 2024-25 it took in £97,000 more than it spent (£466 per pupil). Money left over goes into its reserves.

The school was £22,000 in deficit (£106 per pupil) in 2025: it had spent more than its reserves. Worth asking how it plans to recover.

Money per pupil, year by yearEach England row is for the same year and kind of school.

	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Spending	£5,861	£5,624	£5,315	£5,005	£4,639	£4,852	£4,505	£4,646	£5,435	£3,831	£3,608
England	£7,039	£6,588	£6,167	£5,758	£5,397	£5,306	£5,126	£5,058	£5,066
Income	£6,327	£5,905	£5,376	£4,610	£4,964	£4,899	£4,864	£4,782	£4,531	£3,847	£3,619
Staff costs	£4,255	£4,024	£3,887	£3,700	£3,608	£3,762	£3,318	£3,757	£3,217	–	–
Buildings and grounds	£409	£329	£343	£263	£289	£228	£732	£2,597	£1,150	–	–
Reserves	£-106	£-333	£-385	£-235	£371	£259	£394	£214	£261	£249	£230

Each year is the financial year ending in that year. Per pupil means the year's total divided by the number of pupils. These are day-to-day figures: big building projects aren't counted.

Source: DfE, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.

The basics

School details

Ages: 4 to 11
Type: Academy, run by a trust
Academy trust: Warrington Primary Academy Trust
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: None
Size: 207 pupils, 210 places
Headteacher: Miss Rachel Burke
Opened: August 2016
Council: Warrington
Address: Coniston Avenue, Penketh, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 2QY
Phone: 01925 723719
Website: www.penkethprimary.co.uk
School number (URN): 143072 · See it on the government register

Questions

Questions parents ask

Is Penketh Primary School a good school?

Ofsted rated it Good in March 2023. In 2025, 81% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 68% in Warrington and 62% across England. Visit, and read the latest inspection report.

What is Penketh Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated it Good in March 2023. Ofsted no longer gives one overall grade, so its next inspection will give a report card that grades each area. The full report on Ofsted's website explains what it does well and what it needs to improve.

What are Penketh Primary School's SATs results?

In 2025, 81% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 68% in Warrington and 62% across England. 6% reached the higher standard, against 10% in Warrington and 8% across England. Its average scaled scores were 110 in reading and 108 in maths, where 100 is the expected standard.

How does Penketh Primary School compare with other schools in Warrington?

81% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2025. That puts it joint 10th of 67 mainstream state primary schools in Warrington with published results that year.

How hard is it to get a place?

In 2026, 86 families applied and 30 were offered Reception places, and 33 families put it as their first choice. Not every family who put it first got a place, so list more than one school.

Does Penketh have a nursery?

Our data doesn't show a nursery class. Ask the school about places for younger children.

Is it a faith school?

No, it doesn't have a religious character.

How do you work out the Eduscope rank score?

We compare the school with others of the same phase across England on its latest Ofsted inspection, results and attendance, and turn that into a score out of 100. The weights are on our methodology page. Admissions, staff and money aren't part of it.

Sources: Department for Education school performance tables, school census and workforce, academy accounts, admissions statistics, Ofsted and ISI. Photos are stand-ins. School details and inspections checked against official records on 5 November 2026.

Penketh Primary School

How it ranks in England

Ofsted, against other schoolsMiddle

Met the standard at 11Top fifth

AttendanceTop fifth

Higher standard at 11High

Reading and maths scoresTop fifth

Good to know

Worth checking

Good in 2023

Every Ofsted visit

What Ofsted found in May 2007

What Ofsted found in September 2009

What Ofsted found in March 2023

The four grades, in plain English

How children do by age 11

About 8 in 10 children met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths

Fewer children reached the higher standard than across England

Met the expected standard, year by year

Test scores, 2025

Penketh among primary schools in Warrington

Could your child get a place?

86 families applied and 30 were offered Reception places

Demand has stayed steady in 12 years

Who gets a place first

Applying for September 2027

Life at Penketh

The average child misses about 7 days a year

No pupils were suspended in 2024/25

Who goes to Penketh

Free school meals

English as an additional language

Special educational needs

EHC plan

What to ask when you visit

Other primary schools nearby

Penketh Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

Penketh South Community Primary School

Keep an eye on Penketh

Teachers, and what the school spends

1 teacher for every 24 children

£5,861 spent on each child a year

School details

Questions parents ask