St Clare's Catholic Primary School

St Clare's Catholic Primary School is a warm and caring community where pupils settle quickly, treat each other with respect and behave exceptionally well. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, and provision for pupils with SEND is a notable strength. The school has built a broad and balanced curriculum that starts strongly in the early years, and pupils benefit from a rich reading culture and wide enrichment opportunities. It was judged good for quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, with behaviour and attitudes outstanding. This was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic, and it followed the appointment of a new headteacher and chair of governors. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Inspectors identified two main areas for improvement. In some subjects, curriculum content has not been refined enough, so teachers are not always clear about the specific knowledge to teach and pupils develop some gaps in understanding. Staff also do not consistently check and correct pupils' written work, meaning some mistakes are repeated and pupils' accuracy suffers. The 2024 Year 1 phonics screening results were significantly below the national average, although inspectors noted that many pupils arrived mid-year with little spoken English and did not have time to benefit from the school's curriculum.

Strengths

• Warm and caring community where pupils settle quickly and feel welcome
• Exceptional pupil behaviour and highly positive attitudes to learning
• Outstanding personal development with strong opportunities for responsibility and enrichment
• High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND and English as an additional language
• Strong SEND provision with early identification and effective partnership working
• Broad and balanced curriculum with a strong start in the early years
• Effective phonics teaching and a rich reading culture across the school
• Courteous pupils and a calm, tranquil school atmosphere
• Good attendance and successful work to reduce absence
• Effective governing body support and challenge alongside positive staff morale
• Comprehensive staff training that develops subject knowledge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, curriculum content is not refined enough, leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge
• Staff do not consistently check and correct pupils' written work, so errors are repeated and accuracy suffers
• 2024 Year 1 phonics screening results were significantly below the national average, despite contextual factors

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 Clare's Catholic Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.7% 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 St Clare'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 Clare's Catholic Primary School had 17.2 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, 20.7% of pupils at St Clare's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Clare's Catholic Primary School received £8,360 and spent £8,301 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £132,000 (£659 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 Clare's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Clare's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

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

St Clare's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in April 2025.

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

St Clare's Catholic Primary School has 208 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 33% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Clare's Catholic Primary School?

St Clare's Catholic Primary School is at Garmoyle Close, Liverpool, Merseyside, L15 0DW.