Larkfield Primary School, Southport

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~438m)Possible (~625m)Unlikely (~813m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr D Palmen
Pupils:256 / 255 capacity
LA:Sefton
Phone:01704224720
Address:Preston New Road, Southport, PR9 8PA
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:104887
UKPRN:10076370
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Southport
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Larkfield Primary provides an excellent start in Reception, where children make outstanding progress and develop independence from an early age. The school has a positive, caring community where pupils enjoy learning, behave well, and feel safe. Teachers in the best lessons inspire pupils with imaginative activities, and the school offers a good range of clubs and enrichment activities.

Key Strengths

  • Children in Reception make good and sometimes outstanding progress and are well prepared for Year 1
  • Pupils have very positive attitudes towards learning, behave well, and feel safe in school
  • Best lessons provide stimulating activities that engage pupils' imaginations and inspire learning
  • Good range of additional activities and clubs available outside of lessons
  • Strong parental support with parents recommending the school to others

Areas for Improvement

  • Uneven progress rates across the school - pupils do not progress consistently from year to year
  • Teaching quality inconsistent, with not enough lessons being good or better, particularly in reading
  • Work not always matched to individual pupil needs, leaving some pupils unchallenged
  • Below-average attendance levels need improvement
  • Older pupils in Key Stage 2 not receiving adequate support to develop reading skills

Safeguarding

Safeguarding procedures were examined during the inspection and records were reviewed, but the report does not explicitly state whether safeguarding is effective or not effective.

Larkfield Primary School requires improvement after previously being rated good. While behaviour and safety are strong, the school needs to improve teaching quality and pupil achievement, particularly in reading between Year 1 and Year 6.

At a Glance

20.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-7ppMathsWriting+12pp

Reading has declined from 73% to 66%. Maths has remained stable at around 68%. Writing has improved from 59% to 71%.

Class Sizes

23.1

Avg class size

20.2

Infant (KS1)

26.0

KS2

10

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Larkfield Primary School (opp)
93m · 2 min walk
Lexton Drive (opp)
146m · 2 min walk
Rathmore Crescent (adj)
182m · 3 min walk
Highfield Road (adj)
235m · 4 min walk
Verulam Road (adj)
259m · 4 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

100%

Over capacity

256 pupils

255 capacity

1 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Southport

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,081
Projected new pupils:270

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Southport

Admissions Demand - Sefton

Low demand0.82x oversubscription

Places available

3,095

Applications

2,536

Got 1st preference

92.8%

Got preferred school

98.5%

Primary admissions across Sefton (2025/26)

Inspection History(108)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.59727%

Overall absence

12.97071%

Persistent absence

239

Enrolments

Authorised4.7574%
Unauthorised0.83987%
Persistent (10%+)12.97071%
Severe (50%+)0.83682%

Absence trend

4.39484%
18/19
6.6621%
20/21
6.5793%
21/22
6.68581%
22/23
5.97153%
23/24
5.59727%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.