St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School

St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School is a happy, thriving school where pupils achieve well and behave kindly. Inspectors found high expectations across the curriculum, expert teaching of reading and phonics, and exceptionally strong personal development and early years provision. Pupils benefit from an extensive, inclusive range of clubs and activities, feel safe, and trust staff to support them. Leaders and governors plan carefully for improvement, use external advice thoughtfully, and staff feel well supported. Safeguarding is effective, and pupils with SEND are well supported so that barriers to learning are identified and removed. The main area for improvement is that some teaching activities are not always well matched to the curriculum, which means pupils occasionally do not build knowledge as securely as they could. Mathematics has been strengthened after a below-average 2024 Year 4 multiplication check, and current pupils now learn key facts securely. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and a graded inspection under section 5. As with schools inspected from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was given; the school remains good overall in the graded judgements, with personal development and early years provision judged outstanding.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and achieve well across a broad curriculum.
• High expectations help pupils develop secure knowledge and a love of learning.
• Pupils behave kindly and sensibly and build positive relationships.
• Personal development is exceptional, preparing pupils to be responsible global citizens.
• The school offers an extensive and inclusive range of clubs, sports and enrichment activities.
• Staff identify and remove barriers for pupils with SEND and adapt support effectively.
• Reading and phonics are taught expertly, helping all pupils become confident readers.
• Early years provision gives children a first-rate start and develops highly skilled, confident learners.
• Leaders and governors plan carefully, use expert advice well and support staff effectively.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teaching activities are not always well matched to the curriculum, so pupils occasionally do not build knowledge as securely as they could.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.8% of pupils at St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School had 24.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.4% of pupils at St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School received £6,758 and spent £7,202 for each of its 237 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £360,000 (-£1,522 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Liverpool · Knowsley local authority: places and applications

What is St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School have?

St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School has 241 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School cover?

St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School?

St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School is at Higher Road, Halewood, Liverpool, Merseyside, L26 1TD.