Penketh South Community Primary School

Ofsted: Good · May 2017
Ages 2 to 11
Warrington WA5
230 pupils

In short: a primary academy with a nursery, in a better-off part of the area. Ofsted rated it Good, but that was in 2017. Recent results are below average, and attendance is 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 11Middle
Ahead of about 50% of primary schools.
AttendanceTop fifth
Ahead of about 90% of primary schools.
Higher standard at 11Low
Ahead of about 23% of primary schools.
Reading and maths scoresHigh
Ahead of about 70% of primary schools.

DfE and Ofsted dataHow we work this out

Good to know

Good at its last graded inspection.
Good attendance. 5% of children are often absent. Warrington: 9%.
Nursery from 2, so younger brothers and sisters can start early.

Worth checking

Old grade. The Good rating is from 2017, before Covid.
Results below England. 52% met the standard. England: 62%.
Behind similar schools. It's ahead of about 32% of schools with a similar share on free school meals.

Check my chances

OfstedGoodMay 2017, 9 years ago
Met the standard at 1152%Warrington 68% · England 62%
Reception, 202620 of 20first choices got a place
Free school meals10%Warrington 24%
Pupils230Room for 210, plus 30 in nursery
Days missed4%About 8 days a year

Then and now

Good in 2017. What's changed since?

Ofsted rated the school Requires improvement in 2015. 2 years later it was Good. Since then it has had a shorter, ungraded visit, so there's no new grade.

Every Ofsted visit

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

Rated Requires improvement in 2015, then Good at the next inspection in 2017.

Became an academy in April 2018. Earlier inspections are of Penketh South Community Primary School.

What Ofsted found in May 2017

SafeguardingEffective
Personal developmentGood
LeadershipGood
Quality of teachingGood
Results for pupilsGood
Early yearsOutstanding

Read the 2017 report on Ofsted

Earlier visits

22 Mar 2012GoodReport
5 May 2009SatisfactoryReport
1 Feb 2006SatisfactoryReport

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 half of 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.

52 out of every 100 Year 6 children

Penketh South Community52%

Warrington68%

England62%

29 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 32% on the expected standard over recent years.

Test scores, 2025

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

Reading106

England106

Maths104

England105

Grammar and spelling: 72% 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	29	30	31	–	–	–	22	31
Met the expected standard	52%	73%	61%	–	–	–	77%	71%
England	62%	61%	60%				65%	64%
Higher standard	0%	3%	6%	–	–	–	18%	16%
England	8%	8%	8%				11%	10%
Reading score	106	108	107	–	–	–	107	106
England	106	105	105				104	105
Maths score	104	105	106	–	–	–	105	104
England	105	104	104				105	104
Grammar and spelling	72%	87%	77%	–	–	–	82%	71%
England	73%	72%	72%				78%	78%
Disadvantaged pupils	4	7	4	–	–	–	3	8
Disadvantaged, expected standard	–	43%	–	–	–	–	–	75%
England		46%						51%
Other pupils, expected standard	–	83%	–	–	–	–	–	70%
England		67%						70%
Reading progress	–	–	0	–	–	–	+1.6	+0.8
Writing progress	–	–	-3.2	–	–	–	+1.8	+0.9
Maths progress	–	–	+0.1	–	–	–	+0.5	+0.8

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 South Community among primary schools in Warrington

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

Penketh South Community is higher than 6 of 66 other Warrington state primary schools in 2025.

Getting in

Could your child get a place?

In 2026 every family who put Penketh South Community first got a place.

44 families applied and 21 were offered Reception places

Families list several schools, so this counts every family who listed it, not only those who put it first. 20 families put it first, and all of them got a place.

● 21 places: each figure is about 10

Over the last 3 rounds, 71 of 73 families who put it first got a place (97%). In 2026, 1 of the 21 places went to a family who put it lower or didn't list it, because they came first under the admissions rules. Room for 210 suggests about 30 places a year. The exact number is in the school's admissions policy.

Demand has fallen in 12 years

Applications each year. The black line is how many places were offered. Applications fell from 54 in 2025 to 44.

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

Good to know: a place in the nursery doesn't guarantee a Reception place. You still need to apply.

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	44	54	53	57	54	47	52	57	54	45	42	52	53
First choices	20	31	22	38	21	22	23	26	27	25	12	26	20
Offers made	21	29	27	30	26	23	25	30	26	29	20	29	28
Offers to first choices	20	29	22	29	21	22	23	26	26	25	12	26	20
First choices who got a place	100%	94%	100%	76%	100%	100%	100%	100%	96%	100%	100%	100%	100%
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 2018 include Penketh South Community Primary School, the school it replaced.

Day to day

Life at Penketh South Community

The average child misses about 8 days a year

That's 4% of the school year, for any reason including illness. And 1 in 20 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.

Nursery classFrom age 2. 30 children this year.

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

Pupils

Who goes to Penketh South Community

A steady school: 229 pupils in 2018, 230 now.

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

48% girls52% boys

Ethnic background

86% White British · 4% White Other · 4% Mixed Other · 2% Chinese · 4% in smaller groups

10.4%
Free school meals
Children from lower-income families. The school gets extra money to support them.
Warrington23.6%
7.4%
English as an additional language
Children who speak another language at home. It says nothing about how well they speak English.
Warrington18.4%
17%
Special educational needs
Children with special educational needs, with or without an EHC plan.
Main needs recorded (pupils)
- Speech, language and communication22
- Social, emotional and mental health5
- Vision impairment5
Warrington18.2%
3%
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	230	250	251	256	245	234	–	234	229	–	–	–	–
Days missed	–	4%	4.5%	4.8%	5.5%	2.2%	–	3.6%	4%	3.5%	4%	4%	3.8%
England		5.2%	5.5%	5.9%	6.3%	3.7%		4%	4.2%	4%	4%	4%	3.9%
Often absent	–	5.1%	6.2%	10.1%	12.2%	2.8%	–	5.3%	7.9%	5.1%	8.6%	7.6%	8.5%
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 2018 include Penketh South Community Primary School, the school it replaced.

Open day

What to ask when you visit

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

1“What did Ofsted say on its September 2022 visit?”The Good grade is from 2017. The newer report is the best guide to the school today.
2“How will you use the money in reserve?”The school had £171,000 saved at the last count, or £147,639 adjusted for its share of its trust's central reserves.
3“Does a nursery place help with getting into Reception?”In 2026, 44 families applied and 21 were offered places.
4“How do you support children who need extra help?”17% 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 South Community compares with its neighbours.

See all Warrington primaries

Ofsted: GoodYou're here

Penketh South Community Primary School

WA5 2PN · Academy Converter · 230 pupils

Met the standard: 52%
Days missed: 4%
Pupils per teacher: 22.0

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 Primary School

WA5 2QY · Academy · Primary · Ages 4–11

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

Keep an eye on Penketh South Community

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 22 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 12 children.

Average class: 28 children.

10.2teachers (full-time equivalent)

8.7teaching 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	22	21.3	21.5	24.1	22.5	21.4	20.8	20.3	21.5	19.2	22.3	21.5	18.9	20.9	20.5	20.9
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)	10.2	10.8	10.8	9.8	10.3	10.5	10.5	10.9	10	10	9.4	10.2	10.2	9	8.6	8.2
Teaching assistants	8.7	9.1	9.2	9	8.4	9.3	8.5	9.2	8.2	10.7	9.7	10.8	7.1	6	5.1	–
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 2018 include Penketh South Community Primary School, the school it replaced.

£6,135 spent on each child a year

2024 to 2025. Up from £4,333 in 2015. Warrington: £6,808. England, primary schools, 2024-25: £7,039.

Staff (teachers, assistants and others)£4,76578%
Buildings and grounds£3225%
Everything else: books, IT, food, supplies£1,04817%

Money in: £6,665
Spent: £6,135

These are the school's own accounts, not the whole of The Challenge Academy Trust. They leave out what the trust spends centrally, so compare with other schools with care. In 2024-25 it took in £122,000 more than it spent (£530 per pupil). Money left over goes into its reserves.

The school had £171,000 saved (£743 per pupil) in 2025. Adjusted for its share of its trust's central reserves, that's £147,639. Reserves are for a rainy day, but they're meant to benefit pupils. Worth asking how they'll be used.

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	£6,135	£5,647	£5,430	£4,803	£4,753	£4,699	£4,421	–	£5,322	£4,976	£4,333
England	£7,039	£6,588	£6,167	£5,758	£5,397	£5,306	£5,126		£5,066
Income	£6,665	£5,948	£5,753	£5,089	£4,984	£4,498	£4,561	–	£5,236	£4,964	£4,207
Staff costs	£4,765	£4,194	£4,026	£3,693	£3,835	£3,689	£3,421	–	£3,927	–	–
Buildings and grounds	£322	£293	£336	£289	£272	£224	£195	–	£263	–	–
Reserves	£743	£375	£217	£164	£4	£-96	£204	–	£209	£271	£272

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: 2 to 11, with nursery
Type: Academy, run by a trust
Academy trust: The Challenge Academy Trust
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: None
Size: 230 pupils (30 in nursery), 210 places
Headteacher: Mrs Claire Lawton
Opened: April 2018
Council: Warrington
Address: Finlay Avenue, Penketh, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 2PN
Phone: 01925 726558
Website: penkethsouthcp.co.uk
School number (URN): 145710 · See it on the government register

Questions

Questions parents ask

Is Penketh South Community Primary School a good school?

Ofsted rated it Good in May 2017. That's a while ago. In 2025, 52% 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 South Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated it Good in May 2017. That's a while ago. 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 South Community Primary School's SATs results?

In 2025, 52% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 68% in Warrington and 62% across England. 0% reached the higher standard, against 10% in Warrington and 8% across England. Its average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 104 in maths, where 100 is the expected standard.

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

52% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2025. That puts it joint 59th of 67 mainstream state primary schools in Warrington with published results that year.

How hard is it to get a place?

In 2026, 44 families applied and 21 were offered Reception places, and 20 families put it as their first choice. Every family who put it first got a place that year.

Does Penketh South Community have a nursery?

Yes, it has a nursery class. A nursery place doesn't guarantee a Reception place, so you still need to apply.

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 South Community Primary School

How it ranks in England

Ofsted, against other schoolsMiddle

Met the standard at 11Middle

AttendanceTop fifth

Higher standard at 11Low

Reading and maths scoresHigh

Good to know

Worth checking

Good in 2017. What's changed since?

Every Ofsted visit

What Ofsted found in March 2015

A shorter visit in January 2016

What Ofsted found in May 2017

A shorter visit in September 2022

Earlier visits

The four grades, in plain English

How children do by age 11

About half of 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 South Community among primary schools in Warrington

Could your child get a place?

44 families applied and 21 were offered Reception places

Demand has fallen in 12 years

Who gets a place first

Applying for September 2027

Life at Penketh South Community

The average child misses about 8 days a year

No pupils were suspended in 2024/25

Who goes to Penketh South Community

Free school meals

English as an additional language

Special educational needs

EHC plan

What to ask when you visit

Other primary schools nearby

Penketh South Community Primary School

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

Penketh Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Keep an eye on Penketh South Community

Teachers, and what the school spends

1 teacher for every 22 children

£6,135 spent on each child a year

School details

Questions parents ask