School Chooser

Astmoor Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedCouncil144 pupilsRuncornHalton
School Chooser Score
12
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 5 to 30, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Reached the expected level at 1136%England 63%
Attendance91.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families69%Far more than most schools
Places31 spare144 pupils, 175 places
Pupils per teacher14.4School workforce census

Astmoor Primary School is a council school in Runcorn for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 144 pupils and room for 175. About 69 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 12 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Kingshead Close, Castlefields, Runcorn, WA7 2JE01928 565053astmoorprimaryschool.co.ukMrs L Aldridge headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 November 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

22 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1136%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 35%35%20172018: 58%58%20182019: 50%50%20192023: 59%59%20232024: 43%43%20242025: 36%36%2025
Since 2017: +1%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HaltonEngland
Pupils tested222317241920
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths36%43%59%50%58%35%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%4%0%13%5%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0103.0105.0106.0102.0101.0104.7105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0100.0100.0103.0102.099.0103.1104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score101.0102.0102.0104.0100.0103.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard64%61%88%75%79%75%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard45%61%59%67%63%50%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)68%57%76%63%68%60%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.2+3.5-0.4-2.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.5-0.3-0.1-3.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged21%31%29%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged63%60%50%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
21%63%
Gap 42 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
42%30%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places139 pupils for 175 places, 2024/25
79% full

36 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 5% since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (20 offers for 25 places).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary25214020all offeredLA
2024 Primary25212919all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll144Census January 2026
Places17582% full
Pupils from low-income families69%69% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support25%36 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%13 pupils with a plan
Average class size18.08 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)61%£133,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls87 / 57
White British pupils88%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 13 pupils, for social, emotional and mental health.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Halton with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (19), language and communications needs (16), Other difficulty or disability (7), Specific learning difficulty (4), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll144136121120133130
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals69%68%66%61%58%62%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%4%4%3%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support30%26%30%24%25%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%3%3%4%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school34.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.1%7.3%7.5%7.2%4.3%4.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.3%5.2%5.3%5.4%3.4%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.8%2.1%2.2%1.8%0.9%2.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence34.7%25.0%19.8%18.4%13.0%13.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.59.90.09.00.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers10.0full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher14.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,552
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.02024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£11,215England £7,738. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£10,475England £7,697. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£5,417England £3,480
Money in reserve-7%In the red: -£92k, -£676 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£101kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£11,215spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m28712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate138 per 1,000 people51% higher than the England average
Typical house price£190,000Halton
Nearest bus stop140 mCastlefields Ctr., 10 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy140 m168Good 202333Compare
Bridgewater Park Primary SchoolAcademy560 m91Report card 20266Compare
The Brow Community Primary SchoolCouncil650 m136Good 20226Compare
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy940 m184Not inspected36Compare
Castle View Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles176Good 202288Compare
The Holy Spirit Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.9 miles75Good 202413Compare
Windmill Hill Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles148Good 202458Compare
The Grange SchoolAcademy1.0 miles1,200Good 202212Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Astmoor Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats30%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 12 is 10 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 22 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Astmoor Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Halton Lodge Nursery & Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles205Requires improvement 202123Compare
Woodside Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles116Good 202274Compare
Murdishaw West Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.6 miles139Good 202325Compare
Gorsewood Primary SchoolCouncil1.7 miles166Good 202352Compare
Willow Tree Primary SchoolAcademy7.5 miles176Good 202322Compare
The Priory Parish CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England14.6 miles179No overall grade 202519Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 12 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 12% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 5 to 30. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.25
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 22 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 1.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.02
DfE progress measure; 22 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.14
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.23
2024/25; 124 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.01
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 22 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Astmoor Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Astmoor Primary School scores 12 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 30% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 5 to 30, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Astmoor Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Astmoor Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 19 November 2024.

How good are Astmoor Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 36% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Astmoor Primary School have?

144 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 175 places, so it is 82% full.

Is Astmoor Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 36 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Astmoor Primary School?

Pupils were in school 91.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 35% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Astmoor Primary School?

The average class had 18.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Astmoor Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Kingshead Close, Castlefields, Runcorn, WA7 2JE
Telephone
01928 565053
Website
www.astmoorprimaryschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs L Aldridge
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Halton
Ward
Halton Castle
Constituency
Runcorn and Helsby
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
111217 · LAESTAB 8762700 · UKPRN 10068858

Where these figures come from