Melling Primary School

Melling Primary School continues to maintain its good performance, demonstrating strong achievement among its pupils due to high expectations set by leaders. Pupils engage positively with one another, embodying the school's values and taking on specific responsibilities that foster a sense of community. The curriculum is described as aspirational, and the school promotes both academic and personal development effectively, preparing pupils well for future learning stages. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly regarding staff training in phonics delivery and clarity around essential curriculum knowledge in a few subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils treat each other with respect and take pride in their school.
• Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• The curriculum is aspirational, relevant, and meaningful to pupils.
• Effective support and guidance for teachers help deliver the intended curriculum.
• Pupils develop a love of reading with a wide range of books.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and show resilience.
• Strong personal development programs help students understand health and social responsibility.
• Governors are knowledgeable and have a clear understanding of school strengths and areas for development.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff have not received suitable training to deliver the phonics programme.
• In a few subjects, essential knowledge to be taught has not been clearly defined.

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 Melling Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.4% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Melling 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 Melling Primary School had 24.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.3% 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, 12.3% of pupils at Melling Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Melling Primary School received £7,218 and spent £7,203 for each of its 212 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £202,000 (£954 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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What is Melling Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Melling Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Melling Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Melling Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Melling Primary School have?

Melling Primary School has 212 pupils on roll.

What age range does Melling Primary School cover?

Melling Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Melling Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Melling Primary School?

Melling Primary School is at Wheeler Drive, Melling, Liverpool, Merseyside, L31 1DA.