Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School

Our Lady and St Swithin’s Catholic Primary School continues to demonstrate good performance with a focus on creating a positive and safe environment for pupils. Most pupils are happy and engaged, benefiting from a well-organized curriculum that supports their learning and personal development. While the school excels in many areas, there are notable concerns regarding the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, which lacks the necessary ambition and fails to meet their academic needs. Additionally, some staff and parents have expressed concerns regarding the responsiveness of leadership to their needs and feedback.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and safe at school.
• Leaders create a positive and welcoming school environment.
• Strong relationships between pupils and teachers.
• Effective promotion of mental well-being and personal development.
• Good support and initiatives for reading and phonics.
• Well-organized curriculum in most subjects.
• Effective behavior management and support for emotional well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum for pupils in the specially resourced provision is not fit for purpose.
• Some teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively.
• Some staff feel their workload and well-being are not adequately considered.
• Discontent among some members of the school community regarding leadership responsiveness.

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 Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.3% 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, 2.3% of pupils at Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.1% 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, 22.8% of pupils at Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 17.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 4 pupils.

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 Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School received £10,753 and spent £10,148 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £326,000 (£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 · Liverpool local authority: places and applications

What is Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School have?

Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School has 219 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School cover?

Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School?

Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School is at Parkstile Lane, Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside, Merseyside, L11 0BQ.