St Anne's Catholic Primary School

St Anne's Catholic Primary is a caring, welcoming school that inspectors found is generally performing at the expected standard. Safeguarding standards are met, and the curriculum, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing were all judged to be at the expected standard. Leaders know their community well and have built a broad, regularly adapted curriculum for mixed-age classes, with a strong focus on vocabulary and support for pupils with barriers to learning. Inclusion is a notable strength. Leaders identify barriers early, use pupil premium well, and support disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, late joiners, Traveller pupils and those with EAL. Pupils feel safe and happy, behave well, and benefit from strong pastoral support, including The Hub and The Snug. Staff morale is high, governors provide appropriate support and challenge, and parents are engaged through events such as Inspire days. However, achievement and attendance are areas needing attention. Published outcomes in key stage 2 mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling, and in the Year 1 phonics and Year 4 multiplication tables checks, have been below national averages over time. Some pupils still have gaps in knowledge, especially in mathematics, and many pupils—particularly disadvantaged and persistently absent pupils—miss too much school. Leaders are taking the right actions and pupils are making increasingly positive gains, but the full impact is not yet reflected in national tests and assessments. The school serves a context with above-average disadvantage, SEND support and deprivation.

Strengths

• Broad, well-sequenced curriculum adapted for mixed-age classes and reviewed regularly.
• Strong focus on vocabulary and communication from the early years.
• Reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised, with timely phonics support for pupils who struggle.
• Pupils with SEND and other barriers are well supported to access the curriculum, including through The Hub.
• Inclusion is central: leaders identify barriers early and use pupil premium well for disadvantaged pupils.
• Early years provision is safe, purposeful and strong on routines, relationships and language development.
• Leaders know the school and community well and respond effectively to changing pupil needs.
• Governors provide appropriate support and challenge and fulfil statutory duties, including safeguarding.
• Staff morale is high, professional learning is focused, and leaders consider workload.
• Personal development is well designed, covering safety, relationships, British values and mental health.
• Pupils have leadership roles and access to clubs and experiences, with participation monitored for SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils feel safe, valued and happy; most behave well and bullying is dealt with effectively.
• Leaders understand attendance barriers and provide individual support that is beginning to improve attendance.
• Pupils are making increasingly positive gains and are better prepared for the next stage.

Areas for Improvement

• Attainment in key stage 2 mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling has been below national averages over time.
• Year 1 phonics screening and Year 4 multiplication tables check results are below national averages.
• Some pupils still have gaps in knowledge, particularly in mathematics, which hinders achievement.
• Many pupils, especially disadvantaged and persistently absent pupils, miss too much school.
• Overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages.
• The impact of leaders' improvement work is not yet reflected in national tests and assessments.
• Disadvantaged pupils are disproportionately affected by absence and miss valuable 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 Anne's Catholic Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.0% 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, 2.0% of pupils at St Anne'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 Anne's Catholic Primary School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.7% 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, 32.1% of pupils at St Anne's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% 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 Anne's Catholic Primary School received £7,124 and spent £7,615 for each of its 256 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £67,000 (-£263 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

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What is St Anne's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Anne's Catholic Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

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

St Anne's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

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

St Anne's Catholic Primary School has 265 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 35% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Anne's Catholic Primary School?

St Anne's Catholic Primary School is at Monastery Lane, Sutton, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3SP.