St Columba's Catholic Primary School

St Columba’s Catholic Primary School is a very happy, safe and calm school where pupils achieve well and personal development is outstanding. Inspectors judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision to be good. Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum, accurate identification of SEND and strong support that helps many overcome barriers; they are cooperative, self-disciplined and well prepared as responsible citizens. Safeguarding is effective. The school’s reading provision is improving and current pupils are becoming fluent, enthusiastic readers, although published Year 6 reading data from 2024 was well below the national average after unresolved pandemic-related gaps. Leaders have strengthened attendance work, but too many pupils still miss school. In some subjects, pupils do not always retain essential prior knowledge, so new learning sometimes builds on insecure understanding. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and several staff, including the headteacher and deputy headteacher, are new since the previous inspection. It is a Catholic primary school in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and, under the current framework, received no overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Very happy, safe and calm school where pupils thrive.
• Ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum with high expectations.
• Accurate identification and effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils are cooperative, self-disciplined and focused on learning.
• Outstanding personal development with a rich range of opportunities.
• Pupils are exceptionally well prepared as responsible, respectful British citizens.
• Strong early years provision that helps children settle and flourish.
• Effective staff training and sensible consideration of workload.
• Skilled governing body that challenges and supports the school well.
• Reading provision is improving and pupils are becoming fluent, enthusiastic readers.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not always recall essential prior knowledge, so some new learning is less secure.
• Too many pupils still miss school, which has a negative effect on their learning.

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 Columba's Catholic Primary School attended 90.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.5% 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, 4.5% of pupils at St Columba's 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 Columba's Catholic Primary School had 20.0 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, 10.3% of pupils at St Columba's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 Columba's Catholic Primary School received £8,632 and spent £8,828 for each of its 212 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £36,000 (£172 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 Columba's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Columba's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was St Columba's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Columba's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Columba's Catholic Primary School have?

St Columba's Catholic Primary School has 224 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Columba's Catholic Primary School cover?

St Columba's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Columba's Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Columba's Catholic Primary School?

St Columba's Catholic Primary School is at Hillside Road, Huyton, Hillside Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L36 8BL.