Penketh South Community Primary School, Warrington
Penketh South Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Warrington, part of The Challenge Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 47th-highest of the 69 schools in Warrington with published results, and 7,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Warrington (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Penketh South Community Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at Penketh South Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 83% and 80% in Warrington and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Penketh South Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put Penketh South Community Primary School as their first choice and 44 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 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 Penketh South Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Penketh South Community Primary School are St Vincent's Catholic Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 65% reading, 71% maths); Penketh Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 97% reading, 97% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 94% reading, 90% maths); and Great Sankey Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 87% reading, 85% maths).
Penketh South Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Vincent's Catholic Primary SchoolPenketh Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolGreat Sankey Primary School
The trust
Penketh South Community Primary School is one of 14 schools run by The Challenge Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
10.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (86%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 32 pupils (13.9%) received SEN support and 7 (3%) 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 Sankey for Penketh Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Well Lane (opposite), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Penketh South Community Primary 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 20 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Warrington (96).
Suspensions and exclusions
Penketh South Community Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Penketh South Community Primary School are Penketh High School (0.6 miles) and Great Sankey High School (1.4 miles).
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); 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 agoThis judgement is from May 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
10.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 83% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 80% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 83% to 59% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Penketh South Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Penketh South Community Primary School.
- Kool Kids Out Of SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Kids Planet Penketh OOSC910m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Penketh South Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Penketh South Community Primary School is in Warrington; for families living there:
Apply to Warrington for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Warrington is 11 (the median across 96 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 Penketh South Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Penketh South Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Penketh South Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Penketh South Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Penketh South Community Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Warrington, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Penketh South Community Primary School for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Warrington 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
96%
Near capacity
202 pupils
210 places
8 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Warrington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Warrington
Across Warrington council
Places available
2,365
Applications
2,024
Got 1st preference
91.9%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Warrington council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
17.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
230
Total Pupils
120
Boys
110
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
19.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,565
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,151
Per pupil
£1148k
Total funding
£38k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
5.1%
Persistent absence
177
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
Penketh South Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Penketh South Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Penketh South Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Penketh South Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Penketh South Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Penketh South Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Penketh South Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Penketh South Community Primary School is oversubscribed, Warrington allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Penketh South Community Primary School?
Penketh South Community Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Penketh South Community Primary School?
Classes at Penketh South Community Primary School average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Penketh South Community Primary School?
Penketh South Community Primary School has around 230 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Penketh South Community Primary School?
4% of sessions were missed at Penketh South Community Primary School in 2024/25. 5.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Penketh South Community Primary School?
Apply through Warrington's coordinated admissions process, naming Penketh South Community 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 Penketh South Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Kool Kids Out Of School (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Penketh South Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Warrington is 11 (the median across 96 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Penketh South Community Primary School?
Penketh South Community Primary School is at Finlay Avenue, Penketh, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 2PN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)