Pewithall School, Runcorn
Pewithall School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Runcorn. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 29 schools in Runcorn with published results, and 749th of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Halton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Pewithall School in detail
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Pewithall School reached the expected standard in reading and 97% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Halton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 74% in reading and 58% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Pewithall School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Pewithall School as their first choice and 79 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Pewithall School are St Clement's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths); Halton Lodge Nursery & Primary School (0.5 miles, 72% reading, 72% maths); Weston Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 89% reading, 78% maths); and Victoria Road Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 74% reading, 71% maths).
Pewithall School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Clement's Catholic Primary SchoolHalton Lodge Nursery & Primary SchoolWeston Primary SchoolVictoria Road Primary School
What parents say
75 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Pewithall School (as of September 2025): 89% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 68% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (68%).
Who goes there
2.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Runcorn Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heath High School, 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Pewithall School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Pewithall School issued 4 suspensions, 1.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Pewithall School are The Heath School (0.2 miles), Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy (0.7 miles) and The Grange School (0.7 miles).
The Heath SchoolBlessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England AcademyThe Grange School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2013, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will be happy at Pewithall School where staff know them and their families well. The school excels at teaching reading from the start and provides excellent support for children who find learning tricky, including those with additional needs. There's a real focus on building knowledge gradually across all subjects, with pupils taking pride in their learning and showing real kindness to each other.
Key Strengths
- Reading is prioritised from Reception with well-qualified staff providing quick support for struggling pupils
- Carefully designed curriculum with staff regularly checking pupils' learning to build knowledge over time
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to access the curriculum successfully alongside peers
- High expectations and positive pupil attitudes result in good behaviour, kindness and pride in work
- Broad personal development opportunities including trips, residential visits, and school council involvement
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils in Key Stage 1 lack sufficient opportunity to practise letter sounds in their writing, slowing their writing confidence and fluency
- Subject leadership is underdeveloped in some areas, meaning teachers don't always get the support they need to teach subjects as effectively as possible
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Drama club, football club, mathematics club, school choir, outdoor learning, theatre trips, museum visits, residential visits (Years 2 and 6)
Pewithall School is a happy, welcoming primary school at the heart of its community where pupils are proud to attend and feel well cared for. The school has maintained good standards across all key areas following its previous Outstanding rating.
At a Glance
17.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
75 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 74% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 58% to 97% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 81% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.1
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
7
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Pewithall School
Issue 5 2.10.26
2 Oct 2026
Issue 3 18.9.26
18 Sep 2026
Issue 2 11.9.26
11 Sep 2026
Issue 1 4.9.26
4 Sep 2026
Outdoor Play Newsletter 2
From Pewithall School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Pewithall School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Pewithall School.
- Willow Kids Club440m away · Not yet graded
- Weston Link Club900m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pewithall School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pewithall School is in Halton; for families living there:
Apply to Halton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 Halton is 9.5 (the median across 70 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 Pewithall School
Will you get a place at Pewithall School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Pewithall School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Pewithall School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Pewithall School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Halton, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Pewithall School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Halton 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
97%
Near capacity
203 pupils
210 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Runcorn
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Runcorn
Across Halton council
Places available
1,555
Applications
1,158
Got 1st preference
93.4%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All primary applications across Halton council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
7
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
204
Total Pupils
97
Boys
107
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,426
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,453
Per pupil
£1261k
Total funding
£56k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
12.3%
Persistent absence
179
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 Pewithall School
What are SATs results like at Pewithall School?
Of the pupils at Pewithall School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 97% did so in maths.
What is Pewithall School's Ofsted rating?
Pewithall School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Pewithall School?
No fixed boundary. When Pewithall School is oversubscribed, Halton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Pewithall School?
Pewithall School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Pewithall School?
Classes at Pewithall School average 29.1 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Pewithall School?
Pewithall School has around 204 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Pewithall School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Pewithall School in 2024/25. 12.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Pewithall School?
Apply through Halton's coordinated admissions process, naming Pewithall 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 Pewithall School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Pewithall School: Willow Kids Club (440m away, registered, not yet graded) and Weston Link Club (900m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Pewithall School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 Halton is 9.5 (the median across 70 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Pewithall School?
Pewithall School is at Kenilworth Avenue, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 4XQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)