St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School is a warm and ambitious school where pupils feel safe, happy and well supported. Positive relationships and respectful behaviour create a calm, purposeful atmosphere, and pupils, including those with SEND and children in the early years, generally rise to the school's high expectations and achieve well. Many aspects of provision are strong. Leaders have improved most subject curriculums, staff benefit from high-quality training, phonics is taught consistently well, and pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs and responsibilities. The school also works effectively to support pupils with SEND, improve attendance and prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and staff and governors are committed to the school's improvement journey. The main areas for development are in writing and reading beyond phonics. In Years 3 to 6, the writing curriculum lacks precise small steps, which limits pupils' fluency and automaticity. The key stage 2 reading curriculum also does not set out clearly enough the knowledge and skills pupils need, which slows some pupils' progress in becoming confident, fluent readers. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and its previous inspection grade was outstanding.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy because of warm relationships with adults
• Pupils behave respectfully and lessons have a calm, purposeful atmosphere
• The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Most subject curriculums are ambitious, coherent and well ordered
• Staff explain new concepts clearly and check pupils' understanding well
• Phonics is taught consistently well, with effective support for pupils who need it
• The school builds strong partnerships with parents to support reading
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported to access the same curriculum
• Early years children settle quickly and develop communication and listening skills
• Pupils take on responsible roles and benefit from a wide range of clubs
• Personal development prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain
• Staff feel valued and governance is dedicated and effective

Areas for Improvement

• The writing curriculum in Years 3 to 6 lacks precise small steps, hindering pupils' fluency and automatic writing
• The key stage 2 reading curriculum beyond phonics does not specify the knowledge and skills pupils need
• Some pupils receive a disjointed reading approach that slows their progress in becoming confident, fluent readers

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 Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.8% 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 Peter and St Paul 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 Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School had 25.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 50.0% 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, 13.7% of pupils at St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% 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 Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School received £6,602 and spent £6,333 for each of its 197 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £65,000 (£330 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 Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School have?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School has 197 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School cover?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School is at Derwent Road, Haresfinch, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9AT.