Palmerston School, Liverpool
Palmerston School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Liverpool. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Palmerston School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Palmerston School are Royal School for the Blind (Liverpool) (2 miles, Outstanding); Abbot's Lea School (2.2 miles, Outstanding); Princes School (2.3 miles, Outstanding); and SENDSCOPE (2.3 miles, Good).
Royal School for the Blind (Liverpool)Abbot's Lea SchoolPrinces SchoolSENDSCOPE
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Palmerston School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 16 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms.
Who goes there
50% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 29.9% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (55%), Asian (11%) and Black (11%).
Almost every pupil at Palmerston School has an education, health and care plan (184 of 184 in 2026). The most common need among them is a severe learning difficulty.
Palmerston School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Aigburth Rail Station, about 390 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brabant Road (opposite), 260 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Palmerston School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 140 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and drug offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Liverpool (342).
Suspensions and exclusions
Palmerston School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Palmerston School excels at building trusting relationships where pupils feel happy and safe to learn. Teachers skilfully design lessons around each child's individual targets and needs, helping them make strong progress. The school goes beyond classroom learning by offering rich experiences like community work, public transport training, and Duke of Edinburgh's award to prepare young people for independent life after school.
Key Strengths
- Warm, trusting relationships between staff and pupils create a happy, calm learning environment
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum with targets precisely linked to pupils' individual needs and EHC plans
- Strong focus on communication and reading skills, helping pupils become confident communicators
- Excellent preparation for life after school through careers guidance and real-world life skills experiences
- Very good behaviour management and positive conduct throughout the school
Areas for Improvement
- School does not consistently analyse behaviour data to identify patterns and trends in how pupils behave, limiting its ability to respond to increasingly complex needs
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong safeguarding culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme, community service opportunities, public transport training, football partnership for employability skills, local facilities visits for life skills practice
Palmerston School is a special school for pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties that has successfully maintained its outstanding standards. Pupils are happy, safe, and make strong progress from their individual starting points.
At a Glance
50.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Speech and language, Autism, Multi-sensory +2
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Palmerston School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Palmerston School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Palmerston School is in Liverpool; for families living there:
- Liverpool's school travel policy: this document : Home to School Transport Policy 2026-27
- How to apply: Apply for a travel pass
- Post-16 transport: Liverpool states a charge of £680 a year. Source
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 10 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
5 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 Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
105%
Over capacity
184 pupils
175 places
9 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Liverpool
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Liverpool
Across Liverpool council
Places available
6,108
Applications
5,379
Got 1st preference
68.1%
Got preferred school
89.6%
All secondary applications across Liverpool council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
184
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Palmerston School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
184
Total Pupils
119
Boys
65
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
30
Teachers
6.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,600
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.7%
Overall absence
30.6%
Persistent absence
121
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Palmerston School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Palmerston School
What is Palmerston School's Ofsted rating?
Palmerston School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Palmerston School?
No fixed boundary. When Palmerston School is oversubscribed, Liverpool allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Palmerston School?
Palmerston School has around 184 pupils on roll. 50% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Palmerston School have specialist SEN provision?
Palmerston School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Palmerston School?
10.7% of sessions were missed at Palmerston School in 2024/25. 30.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Palmerston School?
Apply through Liverpool's coordinated admissions process, naming Palmerston School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Palmerston School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 10 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 5 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 Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Palmerston School?
Palmerston School is at Minehead Road, Aigburth, Liverpool, Merseyside, L17 6AU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)