Old Palace Primary School

About Old Palace Primary School

Old Palace Primary School in Tower Hamlets was rated Good overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, but the detail tells a more nuanced story. The school held onto Outstanding grades in three key areas: early years provision, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes. Leadership and management, along with quality of education, were judged Good. This is a step down from the school's previous inspection in 2009, when it was rated Outstanding across the board. On the most informative exam metric available, 81% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2 in 2023/24. That is ten percentage points above the Tower Hamlets local authority average of 71%, placing Old Palace 12th out of 58 primary schools in the borough and in the top 10% nationally. The school also ranks 15th in the LA overall, with a score of 81.

Digging into the KS2 results, the school's strongest subject was maths, where 88% of pupils reached the expected standard and 47% achieved the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 107. Reading followed closely, with 83% at expected and 45% at higher, averaging 108. Writing saw 86% at expected and 40% at higher. The combined higher standard across all three subjects was 26%. While progress scores are not available for this cohort, the attainment figures are solidly above local norms. The school has 394 pupils against a capacity of 420, and 30.2% are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average for primary schools. The Ofsted report noted that personal development and behaviour remain Outstanding, suggesting a school that supports children well beyond just academic outcomes.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 80 applications for 44 places, with 43 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.82. Facilities include a sensory room, library, ICT suite, music rooms, art studios, playing fields and a chapel. Sports on offer include dance, tennis, athletics, football, gymnastics and cross country, while clubs cover drama, choir, chess and coding. SEND provisions are in place for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication, and hearing impairment. Old Palace is a good fit for families who want a strong academic record in a diverse, inner-London primary that also prioritises personal development and behaviour. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is St Agnes RC Primary, just 0.3 km away, so it is worth comparing both if you are looking at options in the area.

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