Booker Avenue Infant School

Booker Avenue Infant School is a maintained infant school for pupils aged 4 to 7. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was judged outstanding and then exempt from routine inspection. Under the current framework the school does not receive an overall effectiveness grade, but inspectors found it performing well across the key areas they examined. Pupils are kind, courteous and respectful, behave well in lessons and around school, feel safe and happy, and attend regularly. The school has high expectations, prioritises early reading and phonics, and many pupils, including some with SEND, achieve well. Personal development, early years provision, music and wider opportunities are notable strengths, and safeguarding is effective. The main areas for improvement concern consistency. In a small number of subjects, including parts of early years, curriculum thinking is less precise and some learning activities are not designed well enough to help pupils secure the most important knowledge. Provision for pupils with SEND is not consistently adapted, particularly for some pupils with complex SEND, so some do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders and governors also lack deep enough insight into how the curriculum is implemented across all areas, which can delay action on issues affecting pupils' learning. Overall, the school is strong and caring, but it needs to sharpen curriculum design, SEND adaptation and oversight so that all pupils benefit consistently.

Strengths

• Pupils are kind, courteous and respectful to classmates.
• Pupils behave well, are attentive and rarely disrupt learning.
• Pupils feel safe and happy and have positive relationships with staff.
• The school has high expectations and many pupils, including some with SEND, achieve well.
• Early reading is prioritised and the phonics programme is delivered well.
• Most Year 1 pupils meet the phonics screening standard and become fluent readers.
• Pupils' personal development is supported well, including safety, health and diversity.
• Children settle well into Reception and quickly learn routines.
• Attendance is high and few pupils are persistently absent.
• Music is central to school life and supports mental health and literacy.
• Pupils benefit from trips, clubs and the active play initiative.
• Leaders are considerate of staff workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties sufficiently well.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum thinking is less precise in a small number of subjects, including parts of early years.
• Some learning activities are not designed well enough to help pupils learn the most important knowledge.
• Curriculum delivery is not consistently adapted for pupils with SEND, especially those with complex SEND.
• Some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could because support is inconsistent.
• Leaders and governors do not have deep enough insight into curriculum implementation across all areas.
• Curriculum oversight does not promptly address some issues affecting pupils' 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 Booker Avenue Infant School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Booker Avenue 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 Booker Avenue Infant School had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.4% 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 Booker Avenue Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Booker Avenue Infant School received £6,096 and spent £5,776 for each of its 294 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £12,000 (£41 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).

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

What is Booker Avenue Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Booker Avenue Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Booker Avenue Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Booker Avenue Infant School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Booker Avenue Infant School have?

Booker Avenue Infant School has 300 pupils on roll.

What age range does Booker Avenue Infant School cover?

Booker Avenue Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Booker Avenue Infant School?

Booker Avenue Infant School is at Booker Avenue, Liverpool, Merseyside, L18 9SB.