Palace Fields Primary Academy
Badger Close, Palace Fields, Runcorn, WA7 2QW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE HEATH FAMILY (NORTH WEST)
- Head of School
- Miss Genna Hitchin
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Heath Family Trust
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Runcorn and Helsby
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 250
- Pupils on roll
- 127
- URN
- 143768
- Local authority
- Halton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01928242855
About this school
Palace Fields Primary Academy is a primary academy in Runcorn. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 127 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Palace Fields 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 27 | 25 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 48% | 77% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 4% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 63% | 64% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 48% | 92% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 48% | 92% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 100.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.90 | - | - |
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 Palace Fields 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 | Halton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52% | 55.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 48% | 56.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 59.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 166 |
| 2023/24 | 146 |
| 2024/25 | 128 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Palace Fields Primary Academy compares
Palace Fields Primary Academy ranked 9th of 48 primary schools in Halton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 77% | 6% | 46.3% | 127 | — |
| Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School | 72% | 5.7% | 53.7% | 178 | 0.1 miles |
| Brookvale Primary School | 60% | 6.2% | 47.9% | 209 | 0.5 miles |
| Hallwood Park Primary School and Nursery | 57% | 4% | 72.9% | 83 | 0.6 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School | 58% | 6.2% | 42.6% | 184 | 0.6 miles |
| Hillview Primary School | 54% | 4.7% | 19.3% | 168 | 0.7 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)
- 46.28%
- English as an additional language
- 4.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.99%
- Persistent absence
- 15.79%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
Brookvale Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
Hallwood Park Primary School and Nursery0.6 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
St Mary's Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Runcorn
-
Hillview Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Runcorn
Other schools in Runcorn
Palace Fields Primary Academy ranks 3rd of the 29 ranked primary schools in Runcorn.
- Astmoor Primary School Primary
- Aston by Sutton Primary School Primary
- Beechwood Primary School Primary
- Bridgewater Park Primary School Primary
- Brookvale Primary School Primary
- Castle View Primary School Primary
- Gorsewood Primary School Primary
- Hallwood Park Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Halton Lodge Nursery & Primary School Primary
- Hillview Primary School Primary
- Murdishaw West Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Palace Fields Primary Academy teach?
- Palace Fields Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Runcorn.
- Who is the head of school of Palace Fields Primary Academy?
- The head of school of Palace Fields Primary Academy is Miss Genna Hitchin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Palace Fields Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Palace Fields 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 Palace Fields Primary Academy?
- Palace Fields Primary Academy has 127 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Palace Fields Primary Academy full?
- Palace Fields Primary Academy has capacity for 250 pupils and 127 on roll (51%), so it has space against 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 Palace Fields Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Palace Fields Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Palace Fields Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Palace Fields Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Palace Fields Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Palace Fields Primary Academy is part of THE HEATH FAMILY (NORTH WEST). Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Palace Fields Primary Academy have?
- The schools register lists Palace Fields Primary Academy's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Palace Fields Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 77% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Palace Fields Primary Academy compare with other schools in Halton?
- Palace Fields Primary Academy ranked 9th of 48 primary schools in Halton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Palace Fields Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Palace Fields Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Palace Fields Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Palace Fields 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 10 July 2026.