Palace Fields Primary Academy

Palace Fields Primary Academy is maintaining the standards established in its previous inspection, showcasing a strong community atmosphere and effective leadership within The Heath Family Multi-Academy Trust. The pupils express happiness and safety in their environment, highlighting the school’s high aspirations for learning which support all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The curriculum is well-structured and generally allows students to achieve well, although there are minor concerns regarding knowledge retention in some subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe in a welcoming community atmosphere.
• High aspirations for learning are evident among pupils.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND and effective specially resourced provision.
• A well-structured and coherent curriculum across most subjects.
• Pupils demonstrate excellent cooperation and enthusiasm for learning.
• High attendance rates and proactive measures to encourage regular attendance.
• Strong relationships with parents, who appreciate the school's support.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not check on pupils' knowledge effectively, leading to gaps in long-term recall.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Palace Fields Primary Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.8% of pupils at Palace Fields Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Palace Fields Primary Academy had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 27.6% of pupils at Palace Fields Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Palace Fields Primary Academy received £10,995 and spent £10,470 for each of its 128 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £561,000 (£4,381 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Heath Family (North West), income was £8,879 and spending £8,893 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Runcorn · Halton local authority: places and applications

Palace Fields Primary Academy is part of The Heath Family (North West), which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Bridgewater Park Primary School Runcorn
• The Heath School Runcorn
• Daresbury Primary School Warrington
• Halsnead Primary School Prescot
• The Prescot School Liverpool
• Litherland Moss Primary School Liverpool
• Litherland High School Liverpool

What is Palace Fields Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Palace Fields Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Palace Fields Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Palace Fields Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Palace Fields Primary Academy have?

Palace Fields Primary Academy has 127 pupils on roll.

What age range does Palace Fields Primary Academy cover?

Palace Fields Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Palace Fields Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Palace Fields Primary Academy?

Palace Fields Primary Academy is at Badger Close, Palace Fields, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 2QW.