St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School

St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School continues to maintain the standards noted in its previous inspections, reflecting stability in educational provision despite recent leadership changes. Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for learning, supported by a strong curriculum that fosters positive relationships and a safe environment. The school successfully incorporates a range of activities that promote both personal and academic development, ensuring students are well-prepared for their transition to junior school.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy learning and behave well in a calm environment.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Effective speech, language, and communication development across the school.
• Varied curriculum including opportunities for leadership and personal development.
• Well-ordered curriculum that secures knowledge retention.
• Positive actions to maintain quality of education despite leadership turbulence.

Areas for Improvement

• Reading support for early-stage readers does not facilitate quick enough catch-up.
• Pupils' understanding of stories read for pleasure needs improvement.

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 Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.2% 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, 1.3% of pupils at St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant 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 Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.7% 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, 11.7% of pupils at St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School received £7,730 and spent £7,608 for each of its 364 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £229,000 (£629 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 · Liverpool local authority: places and applications

What is St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School have?

St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School has 375 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School cover?

St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School?

St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School is at Pilch Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside, L14 0JG.