Lime Academy Watergall, Peterborough
Lime Academy Watergall is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Peterborough, part of Lime Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 61st-highest of the 78 schools in Peterborough with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 75% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Peterborough (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Lime Academy Watergall in detail
Lime Academy Watergall in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Lime Academy Watergall is an exciting inclusive two-form primary school in the heart of Bretton, Peterborough. We are an ambitious and thriving school committed to providing a broad, enriching and inspiring curriculum to all learners. At Lime Academy Watergall, we strive to create a culture and climate where every member of our community feels successful and nurtured."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care until 5:45pm, from £8.00 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Lime Academy Watergall reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Peterborough and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 68% in reading and 58% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Lime Academy Watergall
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Lime Academy Watergall as their first choice and 45 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Lime Academy Watergall
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lime Academy Watergall are Eyrescroft Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 83% maths); Ravensthorpe Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 62% reading, 66% maths); Discovery Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 70% reading, 74% maths); and Highlees Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 78% reading, 76% maths).
Lime Academy Watergall's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Eyrescroft Primary SchoolRavensthorpe Primary AcademyDiscovery Primary AcademyHighlees Primary School
The trust
Lime Academy Watergall is one of 9 schools run by Lime Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
45.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 40.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (45%), Black (13%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 52 pupils (17.4%) received SEN support and 21 (7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Peterborough Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Lime Academy Watergall issued 65 suspensions, 20.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lime Academy Watergall are Queen Katharine Academy (0.7 miles), Ken Stimpson Academy (1.3 miles) and Jack Hunt Academy (1.6 miles).
Queen Katharine AcademyKen Stimpson AcademyJack Hunt Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has made real efforts to improve teaching, particularly in writing, with staff receiving strong support to develop their practice. Leaders have created clear behaviour expectations that pupils understand and work towards, making the school a calmer place to learn. The school is working closely with other schools in its trust to share what works best, which is helping pupils know and remember more.
Key Strengths
- New leadership structure with dedicated support for special educational needs and behaviour management
- Improved teaching of writing through professional development and trust-wide moderation
- Better consistency in curriculum delivery helping pupils remember and build on previous learning
- Clear behaviour expectations that have led to improvements in pupil conduct
- Greater calm and purposeful school environment overall
Areas for Improvement
- Recent changes not yet fully established across the school
- Some pupils still struggle with behaviour in lessons and need different provision
- Ongoing need to embed improvements in writing standards and curriculum consistency
Lime Academy Watergall has made progress in improving the school since its previous inspection, with a new leadership structure and focus on writing and curriculum development. However, some aspects still need further improvement.
At a Glance
45.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 58% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 66% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.9
Avg class size
20.8
Infant (KS1)
24.3
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Lime Academy Watergall
Before and after school care
Lime Academy Watergall is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Peterborough
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Lime Academy Watergall.
- One Touch Football - Eyrescroft410m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Lime Academy Watergall is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Peterborough's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lime Academy Watergall from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lime Academy Watergall is in Peterborough; for families living there:
- Peterborough's school travel policy: Mainstream school transport assistance policy
- How to apply: Apply online for school transport for 4 to 16 year olds
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Peterborough is 16 (the median across 91 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Lime Academy Watergall
Will you get a place at Lime Academy Watergall? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lime Academy Watergall's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lime Academy Watergall:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lime Academy Watergall.
- Peterborough publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Lime Academy Watergall that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lime Academy Watergall for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Peterborough got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
75%
Available places
317 pupils
420 places
103 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Peterborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Peterborough
Across Peterborough council
Places available
3,215
Applications
2,365
Got 1st preference
94.8%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Peterborough council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
24.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
298
Total Pupils
151
Boys
147
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
17.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,995
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,826
Per pupil
£2152k
Total funding
£218k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
15.3%
Persistent absence
307
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Lime Academy Watergall
Questions parents ask about Lime Academy Watergall
What are SATs results like at Lime Academy Watergall?
Of the pupils at Lime Academy Watergall who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is Lime Academy Watergall's Ofsted rating?
Lime Academy Watergall's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Lime Academy Watergall?
No fixed boundary. When Lime Academy Watergall is oversubscribed, Peterborough allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Lime Academy Watergall?
Lime Academy Watergall was not full in 2025: it ran at 75% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Lime Academy Watergall?
Classes at Lime Academy Watergall average 22.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Lime Academy Watergall?
Lime Academy Watergall has around 298 pupils on roll. 45% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lime Academy Watergall?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Lime Academy Watergall in 2024/25. 15.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lime Academy Watergall?
Apply through Peterborough's coordinated admissions process, naming Lime Academy Watergall on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Lime Academy Watergall have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lime Academy Watergall is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Lime Academy Watergall: One Touch Football - Eyrescroft (410m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Lime Academy Watergall?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Peterborough is 16 (the median across 91 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lime Academy Watergall?
Lime Academy Watergall is at Watergall, Bretton, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE3 8NX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)