Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School is an inclusive and welcoming school where pupils feel safe, cared for and celebrated. Inspectors found consistently strong provision across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. Pupils typically achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and they behave positively with little disruption to learning. The school has a well-established curriculum, strong reading and phonics, effective early years provision, robust attendance systems and effective safeguarding. It is a Catholic primary school with provision for two-year-olds, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic; the previous inspection grade was good. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The report highlights many strengths: staff are well trained, pupils with SEND are well supported, children settle quickly into the early years, and older pupils hold thoughtful conversations and take on leadership roles. Governors are knowledgeable and hold leaders to account, while staff feel valued and supported. Pupils also develop a secure understanding of health, relationships, online safety, British values and community contribution. Two main areas need improvement. In some subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunities to revisit and recall prior knowledge, so their learning does not build securely over time. The school’s enrichment and broader development opportunities are also variable, meaning pupils do not consistently access a wide range of activities that develop their talents, skills, independence and broader learning.

Strengths

• Inclusive, welcoming culture where every child is celebrated and feels safe
• High expectations and typically strong achievement, including for pupils with SEND
• Pupils' positive attitudes and sensible behaviour, with little disruption to learning
• Well-ordered phonics and a strong love of reading from two-year-olds to Year 6
• Effective early years provision with a language-rich environment where children settle quickly
• Robust attendance systems and effective work with families and external professionals
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and an open, positive safeguarding culture
• Knowledgeable governors who hold leaders to account and support staff well-being
• Pupils develop maturity around health, relationships, online safety, British values and community contribution

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, pupils do not revisit prior knowledge sufficiently, so knowledge does not build securely over time
• Enrichment and broader development opportunities are variable, limiting how consistently pupils widen their horizons and develop talents

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 Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.4% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Saints Peter and Paul 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 Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.4% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School received £7,650 and spent £8,019 for each of its 333 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £265,000 (-£796 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 Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School have?

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School has 346 pupils on roll.

What age range does Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School cover?

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Saints Peter and Paul 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 Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School?

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School is at Moorfield, Tower Hill, Kirkby, Liverpool, Merseyside, L33 1DZ.