Appleton Thorn Primary School

Appleton Thorn Primary is a welcoming village school where pupils are happy and achieve well. It was inspected under section 5 for the first time and is part of The Challenge Academy Trust; the report notes it had previously been judged outstanding before becoming an academy, and no overall effectiveness grade is now awarded. Leaders have high expectations, including for pupils with SEND, and safeguarding is effective. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and personal development is exceptionally strong. The school provides a wide range of enrichment, clubs and trips, and pupils take real responsibility in school and the community. Reading is a clear priority from the early years, phonics teaching is strong, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well. The curriculum is ambitious and staff are well trained, with trust and governance providing effective support and challenge. The main areas for improvement are limited to a few subjects. Sometimes teaching does not follow the intended curriculum sequence precisely enough, so some pupils do not build knowledge securely over time. In a few subjects, pupils also do not recall prior learning securely, which slows progress through those curriculums.

Strengths

• Pupils behave exceptionally well and are avid, resilient learners.
• Personal development is exceptionally well planned, with a wide range of clubs, trips and enrichment.
• Reading is prioritised from the early years, and phonics support helps pupils catch up quickly.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and skilfully supported to access the ambitious curriculum.
• The curriculum is ambitious and staff benefit from high-quality training.
• Attendance is high, and the school takes rigorous action to maintain it.
• Pupils contribute meaningfully to their school and local community.
• Trustees and governors provide strong oversight, and staff feel supported with workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The early years provides a calm, nurturing environment where children enjoy stories and rhymes.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, teaching does not follow the intended curriculum order precisely, so some pupils do not build knowledge securely over time.
• In a few subjects, pupils do not recall prior learning securely because retrieval and checking are not consistent enough.

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 Appleton Thorn Primary School attended 97.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Appleton Thorn Primary School 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 Appleton Thorn Primary School had 24.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% 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, 12.6% of pupils at Appleton Thorn Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 Appleton Thorn Primary School received £6,811 and spent £6,741 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £16,000 (£82 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The Challenge Academy Trust, income was £7,634 and spending £7,638 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 Warrington · Warrington local authority: places and applications

Appleton Thorn Primary School is part of The Challenge Academy Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Broomfields Junior School Warrington
• Bridgewater High School Warrington
• Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School Warrington
• Priestley College Warrington
• Padgate Academy Warrington
• Beamont Collegiate Academy Warrington
• Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School Warrington
• Dallam Community Primary School Warrington
• Great Sankey Primary School Warrington
• Penketh High School Warrington

What is Appleton Thorn Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Appleton Thorn Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Appleton Thorn Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Appleton Thorn Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Appleton Thorn Primary School have?

Appleton Thorn Primary School has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does Appleton Thorn Primary School cover?

Appleton Thorn Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Appleton Thorn Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Appleton Thorn Primary School?

Appleton Thorn Primary School is at Arley Road, Appleton Thorn, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 4RW.