Find the best primary schools in Warrington. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Warrington has 70 primary schools, all in Warrington council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 70, 33 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Warrington primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| St Helen's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 5.0 / 5 |
| Evelyn Street Primary Academy and Nursery | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Croft Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Grappenhall Heys Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Statham Primary School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Barrow Hall Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Bruche Primary School Academy | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Peter's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic |
There are 70 primary schools in Warrington.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 70 primary schools in Warrington, 33 have a religious character: 19 Church of England and 14 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are St Helen's Church of England Primary School (5.0), Evelyn Street Primary Academy and Nursery (4.8), Croft Primary School (4.7), Grappenhall Heys Community Primary School (4.7) and Statham Primary School (4.6). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 70 schools here, 63 have enough published data for a rating.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
| 4.4 / 5 |
| Penketh Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Burtonwood Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Great Sankey Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Stretton St Matthew's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Cherry Tree School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Gorse Covert Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Woolston CofE Aided Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Thelwall Infant School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Ravenbank Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Chapelford Village Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| St Oswald's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.1 / 5 |
| Stockton Heath Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Appleton Thorn Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Christ Church CofE Primary School Padgate | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Culcheth Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Grappenhall St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Warrington St Barnabas CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Stephen's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Bridget's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| The Cobbs Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Park Road Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Warrington St Ann's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Vincent's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| Alderman Bolton Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Elphin's (Fairfield) CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Glazebury Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Broomfields Junior School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Birchwood CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Woolston Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Twiss Green Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Winwick CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Beamont Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Monica's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Oakwood Avenue Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Andrew's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Alban's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 |
| Oughtrington Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Thelwall Community Junior School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Dallam Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Newchurch Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| St Augustine's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| Sankey Valley St James Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| Bradshaw Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.4 / 5 |
| St Paul of the Cross Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.4 / 5 |
| Penketh South Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Latchford St James CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Locking Stumps Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| St Lewis Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.0 / 5 |
| Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Brook Acre Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| St Benedict's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 2.7 / 5 |
| Westbrook Old Hall Primary School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Bewsey Lodge Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Callands Primary Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Cinnamon Brow Church of England Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| St Margaret's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| St Philip (Westbrook) CofE Aided Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| St Thomas' CofE Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Warrington St Ann's Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.