Old Palace Primary School, London
Old Palace Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in London. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 313th-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 2,457th of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Tower Hamlets (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Old Palace Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at Old Palace Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 82% and 82% in Tower Hamlets and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (83% in reading, 88% in maths).
Getting a place at Old Palace Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 48 families put Old Palace Primary School as their first choice and 81 named it as one of their preferences, for 51 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 Old Palace Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Old Palace Primary School are St Agnes RC Primary School (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 86% reading, 86% maths); Marner Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 84% maths); Oasis School 360 (0.4 miles, Good); and Wellington Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 75% reading, 76% maths).
Old Palace Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
St Agnes RC Primary SchoolMarner Primary SchoolOasis School 360Wellington Primary School
Who goes there
83.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (82%) and Black (8%).
In 2026, 34 pupils (8.8%) received SEN support and 23 (6%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Old Palace Primary School had 27 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Bromley-by-Bow Underground Station, about 360 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Leonards Street, 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Old Palace Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Old Palace Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Old Palace Primary School are Harris Science Academy East London (0.3 miles), Bow School (0.4 miles), Bobby Moore Academy (0.6 miles) and Central Foundation Girls' School (0.6 miles).
Harris Science Academy East LondonBow SchoolBobby Moore AcademyCentral Foundation Girls' School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Old Palace Primary School creates an inclusive, calm learning environment where pupils are eager to learn and demonstrate exceptional behaviour and respect for one another. The school provides a wealth of enrichment opportunities including visits to museums, galleries, theatres and the Essex countryside that bring learning to life. The early years provision is outstanding, giving children a strong foundation for their future education.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary behaviour throughout the school with consistent application of behaviour policy
- Ambitious, well-organised curriculum from Reception to Year 6 with regular checks on pupil progress
- Outstanding early years provision that prepares children effectively for future learning
- High-quality enrichment opportunities including museum visits, theatre trips, and residential visits
- Strong focus on reading with high-quality books and effective phonics teaching for most pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Some staff lack sufficient subject knowledge in the new phonics programme, particularly in Key Stage 1 and Year 3
- Reading books are not always well-matched to individual pupils' phonics levels in a few cases
- Some pupils progress to new books before they are ready, affecting reading fluency and confidence
- Parent communication could be improved according to feedback from a few families
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with well-trained staff who recognise signs of abuse, take prompt action on concerns, and work in close partnership with external agencies.
Extracurricular Activities
Museum visits, gallery visits, place of worship visits, West End theatre trips, residential visits to Essex countryside (Years 3-5), school council, sports ambassador roles
Old Palace Primary School is a Good rated school that celebrates diversity and promotes an inclusive learning environment. The school has Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, and an exceptionally well-planned early years provision.
At a Glance
30.1%
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 improved from 83% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 88% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
27.2
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Old Palace Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Old Palace Primary School.
- Tower Project Complex Needs Holiday Schemes460m away · Not yet graded
- Premier @360550m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Old Palace Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Old Palace Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Old Palace Primary School is in Tower Hamlets; for families living there:
Apply to Tower Hamlets for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 239
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 45
- Children hurt
- 13
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 239 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 45 serious and 193 slight.
13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise.
38 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 Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 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 Old Palace Primary School
Will you get a place at Old Palace Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Old Palace Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Old Palace Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Old Palace Primary School.
- Tower Hamlets publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Old Palace Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Old Palace Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Tower Hamlets 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
94%
Near capacity
393 pupils
417 places
24 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Tower Hamlets council
Places available
3,355
Applications
2,713
Got 1st preference
92.6%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Tower Hamlets council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
23
EHC Plans
14.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
386
Total Pupils
194
Boys
192
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
14.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£59,543
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,397
Per pupil
£3216k
Total funding
£179k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
12.7%
Persistent absence
347
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
Questions parents ask about Old Palace Primary School
What are SATs results like at Old Palace Primary School?
Of the pupils at Old Palace Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Old Palace Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Old Palace Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2009 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Old Palace Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Old Palace Primary School is oversubscribed, Tower Hamlets allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Old Palace Primary School?
Old Palace Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 417 places.
How big are the classes at Old Palace Primary School?
Classes at Old Palace Primary School average 27.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Old Palace Primary School?
Old Palace Primary School has around 386 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Old Palace Primary School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Old Palace Primary School in 2024/25. 12.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Old Palace Primary School?
Apply through Tower Hamlets's coordinated admissions process, naming Old Palace Primary School 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 Old Palace Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Old Palace Primary School: Tower Project Complex Needs Holiday Schemes (460m away, registered, not yet graded) and Premier @360 (550m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Old Palace Primary School's term dates?
Old Palace Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Old Palace Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 239 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 45 serious and 193 slight. 13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise. 38 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 Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Old Palace Primary School?
Old Palace Primary School is at St Leonard's Street, Bow, London, E3 3BT.
Sources: Tower Hamlets term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)