The Palmer Primary Academy
70 Northumberland Avenue, Reading, RG2 7PP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Anne Higginbotham
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- REAch2 Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Reading Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 436
- URN
- 139653
- Local authority
- Reading
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01189375481
About this school
The Palmer Primary Academy is a primary academy in Reading. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 436 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Palmer Primary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 58 | 54 | 44 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 57% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 4% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 67% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 65% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 69% | 61% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 102.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Palmer Primary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Reading average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 53% | 55.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 57.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 443 |
| 2023/24 | 454 |
| 2024/25 | 442 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Palmer Primary Academy compares
The Palmer Primary Academy ranked 17th of 37 primary schools in Reading for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 6.9% | 27.3% | 436 | — |
| New Christ Church Church of England Primary School | 54% | 5.1% | 19% | 185 | 0.3 miles |
| Katesgrove Primary School | 64% | 5.3% | 17.1% | 674 | 0.7 miles |
| Whitley Park Primary and Nursery School | 53% | 6.9% | 39.8% | 511 | 0.7 miles |
| Coley Primary School | 67% | 5.9% | 22.5% | 250 | 0.8 miles |
| Redlands Primary School | 50% | 5.1% | 16.2% | 196 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 27.3%
- English as an additional language
- 51.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.88%
- Persistent absence
- 20.55%
Location
Nearby schools
-
New Christ Church Church of England Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Reading
-
Katesgrove Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Reading
-
Whitley Park Primary and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Reading
-
Coley Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Reading
-
Redlands Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Reading
Other schools in Reading
The Palmer Primary Academy ranks 41st of the 82 ranked primary schools in Reading.
- Aldermaston C.E. Primary School Primary
- Aldryngton Primary School Primary
- Alfred Sutton Primary School Primary
- All Saints Church of England Aided Infant School Primary
- All Saints Junior School Primary
- Basildon C.E. Primary School Primary
- Battle Primary Academy Primary
- Beechwood Primary School Primary
- Beenham Primary School Primary
- Birch Copse Primary School Primary
- Bradfield C.E. Primary School Primary
- Brimpton C.E. Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Palmer Primary Academy teach?
- The Palmer Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Reading.
- Who is the headteacher of The Palmer Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of The Palmer Primary Academy is Miss Anne Higginbotham, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Palmer Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Palmer Primary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Palmer Primary Academy?
- The Palmer Primary Academy has 436 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is The Palmer Primary Academy full?
- The Palmer Primary Academy has capacity for 420 pupils and 436 on roll (104%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Palmer Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. The Palmer Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does The Palmer Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Palmer Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is The Palmer Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Palmer Primary Academy is part of REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Palmer Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Palmer Primary Academy compare with other schools in Reading?
- The Palmer Primary Academy ranked 17th of 37 primary schools in Reading for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Palmer Primary Academy's absence rate?
- The Palmer Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Palmer Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Palmer Primary Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.