Palmerston School is a council-run special school in Liverpool for children and young people aged 11 to 19. It supports speech and language, autism, multi-sensory and 2 other needs.
- Ages 11–19
- 184 pupils
- Ofsted: Outstanding
School details
- Type
- Council special school
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 184 (places for 175)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison Buckley (Headteacher)
- Free school meals
- 46.4% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Liverpool
- School reference (URN)
- 104748
Needs it supports
5 needs: speech and language, autism and 3 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in Liverpool (18)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in Liverpool (13)
Cognition and learning
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Liverpool (13)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in Liverpool (3)
Sensory and physical
- Multi-sensory impairment Other schools for this in Liverpool (4)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Liverpool council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Outstanding, March 2015; standards maintained (March 2025)
Rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in March 2015. That was some time ago, so read the latest report for the full picture.
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Sixth formOutstanding
Since then: Standards maintained (ungraded inspection, March 2025).
Contact and getting there
Minehead Road, Aigburth, Liverpool, L17 6AU
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- St Michael-in-the-Hamlet Community Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.1 miles
- Matthew Arnold Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted: Good 1.5 miles
- Springwood Heath Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 4–11 1.7 miles
By need in Liverpool: Autism (19) · Speech and language (14) · Severe learning (14) · SEMH (9) · Vision (6) · Dyslexia and SpLD (5) · Multi-sensory (5) · Physical (5) · Moderate learning (4) · PMLD (4) · Hearing (4)
Questions about Palmerston School
How do I get a place at Palmerston School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Palmerston School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Palmerston School support?
Speech, language and communication, autism, multi-sensory impairment, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Palmerston School take?
Aged 11 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Palmerston School’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2025 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Palmerston School?
Minehead Road, Aigburth, Liverpool, L17 6AU, in Liverpool.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.