Palfrey Infant School, Walsall
Palfrey Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Walsall, part of The Forge Brook Trust.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Walsall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Palfrey Infant School in detail
Palfrey Infant School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Once again, thank you for your continued support. We are proud that some of our children are 2 nd and 3 rd generation Palfrey Infant pupils! To visitors and prospective parents, a very warm welcome. At Palfrey Infants School you will find a happy and friendly atmosphere, commented on by all who visit."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Palfrey Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 70 families put Palfrey Infant School as their first choice and 99 named it as one of their preferences, for 73 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 Palfrey Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Palfrey Infant School are Palfrey Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 61% reading, 68% maths); Caldmore Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 64% reading, 71% maths); Whitehall Nursery and Infant Academy (0.3 miles); and Hillary Primary School (0.5 miles).
Palfrey Junior SchoolCaldmore Primary AcademyWhitehall Nursery and Infant AcademyHillary Primary School
The trust
Palfrey Infant School is one of 5 schools run by The Forge Brook Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
77.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (81%) and other ethnic groups (7%).
In 2026, 32 pupils (10.3%) received SEN support and 15 (4.8%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bescot Stadium Rail Station, about 1130 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bradford Arms (adjacent), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Palfrey Infant School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 637 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and vehicle crime. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Walsall (297), as is usual near a town centre.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Palfrey Infant School are Walsall Studio School (0.6 miles), Joseph Leckie Academy (0.7 miles), Blue Coat Church of England Academy (0.7 miles) and Queen Mary's Grammar School (0.9 miles).
Walsall Studio SchoolJoseph Leckie AcademyBlue Coat Church of England AcademyQueen Mary's Grammar School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
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
Palfrey Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in June 2025. Before that, as Palfrey Infant School (URN 104161), it was rated Requires Improvement in October 2022.
At a Glance
32.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
28.6
Infant (KS1)
12
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Palfrey Infant School
What's On June
30 Jun 2026
What's On March
13 Mar 2026
What's on February
11 Feb 2026
What's on January
12 Jan 2026
What's on September
19 Sep 2025
What's on: July
2 Jul 2025
From Palfrey Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Palfrey Infant School
Term dates
Palfrey Infant School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Walsall's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Palfrey Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Palfrey Infant School is in Walsall; for families living there:
Apply to Walsall for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 48
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 14
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 48 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 38 slight.
14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 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 Palfrey Infant School
Will you get a place at Palfrey Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Palfrey Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Palfrey Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Palfrey Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Walsall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Palfrey Infant School for 2026 entry.
- How many families in Walsall 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
86%
Available places
310 pupils
360 places
50 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Walsall
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Walsall
Across Walsall council
Places available
3,855
Applications
3,340
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Walsall council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
310
Total Pupils
164
Boys
146
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
23.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,106
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at Palfrey Infant School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published under the school's previous registration (URN 104161). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
6.8%
Overall absence
20.1%
Persistent absence
184
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 Palfrey Infant School
What is Palfrey Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Palfrey Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in June 2025. Before that, as Palfrey Infant School (URN 104161), it was rated Requires Improvement in October 2022.
What is the catchment area for Palfrey Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Palfrey Infant School is oversubscribed, Walsall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How big are the classes at Palfrey Infant School?
Classes at Palfrey Infant School average 24.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Palfrey Infant School?
Palfrey Infant School has around 310 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Palfrey Infant School?
Apply through Walsall's coordinated admissions process, naming Palfrey Infant 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.
How many road collisions happen near Palfrey Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 48 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 38 slight. 14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Palfrey Infant School?
Palfrey Infant School is at Bescot Street, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 4HY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)