Papdale Primary School, Orkney
Papdale Primary School is a primary school for pupils in Orkney.
- Attendance
- 94.9%
Data last updated 25 Oct 2026
Papdale Primary School in detail
School in Scotland
Papdale Primary School is a local authority school in Scotland. Scottish schools are inspected by Education Scotland rather than Ofsted, and Scotland does not publish school-by-school exam league tables.
Papdale Primary School has a pre-school (nursery) class.
In the 2025 pupil census it had 407 pupils, an average class size of 25.4 and 17.9 pupils per teacher.
12% of P6-P7 pupils are registered for free school meals and 32% of pupils have an additional support need recorded.
0% of its pupils live in Scotland's most deprived fifth of areas and 14% in the least deprived fifth (SIMD).
Attendance was 94.9% in 2024/25, and 14.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
The 2026 school estate survey rated its buildings' condition as satisfactory (B) and their suitability for teaching as good (A); the school was 68% full.
Papdale Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "A very warm welcome to Papdale Primary School, here in the heart of Kirkwall, Orkney. With around 420 pupils from Primary 1 to Primary 7, we are proud to be a large and vibrant school community where every child is known, valued, and supported to thrive."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Papdale Primary School are Glaitness School (0.7 miles) and Shapinsay Community School (4.5 miles).
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Papdale Primary School.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Meadowbank (opposite), 220 metres away.
Sources: Scottish Government school statistics: pupil census, attendance and absence, school estate, leaver destinations (OGL); NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
Scottish GovernmentInspection
HM Inspectorate of Education (Education Scotland) last published an inspection of Papdale Primary School in June 2023.
- 1.3 Leadership of changesatisfactory
- 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessmentgood
- 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusionsatisfactory
- 3.2 Raising attainment and achievementgood
HMIE grades on a six-point scale: unsatisfactory, weak, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent.
Source: HM Inspectorate of Education (Education Scotland), Open Government Licence.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Social & online
Keep up with Papdale Primary School
Getting There
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- 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, 0 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
0 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 Orkney Islands is 0 (the median across 21 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
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Papdale Primary School
Questions parents ask about Papdale Primary School
When was Papdale Primary School last inspected?
HM Inspectorate of Education (Education Scotland) last published an inspection of Papdale Primary School in June 2023. Inspectors evaluated leadership of change as satisfactory; learning, teaching and assessment as good; ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion as satisfactory and raising attainment and achievement as good, on a six-point scale from unsatisfactory to excellent.
What is the catchment area for Papdale Primary School?
Scottish schools have catchment (zoned) areas, and Papdale Primary School is no exception: children living in its zone are normally given a place there automatically. Families who want a different school make a placing request to Orkney Islands. Orkney Islands publishes the zone boundary.
How do I apply to Papdale Primary School?
If you live in Papdale Primary School's catchment zone your child is normally allocated a place automatically, and Orkney Islands will write to you. To ask for a place here from outside the zone, make a placing request to Orkney Islands - requests usually open in November and close in mid-March for the following August.
How many road collisions happen near Papdale Primary School?
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, 0 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 0 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 Orkney Islands is 0 (the median across 21 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Papdale Primary School?
Papdale Primary School is at Kirkwall, Orkney, Orkney, KW15 1PJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)