SCHOOL PROFILE

Palmerston School

Not applicable Community special school URN 104748
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 175 Published school capacity
Capacity used 105.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

5 March 2025
Latest published outcome Standards maintained
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community special school
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Liverpool
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 184 184 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 65 35.3% of pupils
Male pupils 119 64.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

50.0%
25.2 pts above England
School 50.0%
Liverpool 34.5%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

29.9%
9.6 pts above England
School 29.9%
Liverpool 22.1%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Liverpool 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
54.9%
101
Any other ethnic group
8.2%
15
Any other Asian background
6.5%
12
African
6.0%
11
Any other Black background
3.8%
7
Chinese
3.8%
7
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 184 of 184 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Liverpool 26.7%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 184 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Severe learning difficulty 146
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 22
Autistic spectrum disorder 10
Speech, language & communication 2
Other difficulty or disability 1
Physical disability 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

10.65%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.43 pts higher than England
School 10.65%
Liverpool 7.19%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

30.58%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

14.76 pts higher than England
School 30.58%
Liverpool 19.97%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.13%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.33 pts higher than England
School 4.13%
Liverpool 2.08%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

105.1% 25.4 pts above England
Palmerston School
105.1%
Liverpool
94.5%
North West
82.4%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information