Maricourt Catholic High School

Maricourt Catholic High School is a happy, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and a strong sense of belonging to a wider community. The personal development and wellbeing programme acts as a golden thread through school life, supporting pupils' wellbeing, attendance and behaviour. Pupils benefit from a wide range of leadership opportunities and extra-curricular activities, and almost all progress to appropriate education, employment or training. Safeguarding standards are met. Most areas of the school's work are meeting expected standards. Achievement is improving, with attainment close to national averages in most subjects, though progress for disadvantaged pupils remains a concern. Attendance and behaviour are improving, but attendance is still above national average for absence and persistent absence. Teaching is effective in most subjects but not yet consistently strong across the curriculum. Inclusion is a strength, with early identification of needs and effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Leadership has undergone significant change, and new leaders are ambitious and taking appropriate action, though some initiatives are at an early stage. Post-16 provision is broad and meets students' needs, with all students progressing successfully to their chosen destinations. The school is well placed to continue improving, with next steps focused on attendance, consistency of teaching, and ensuring curriculum improvements lead to better achievement across the board.

Strengths

• Personal development programme is a 'golden thread' that strengthens pupils' sense of belonging and supports improvements in attendance and behaviour.
• Pupils are happy, feel safe, and benefit from a calm and purposeful environment with rare bullying.
• Wide range of leadership opportunities, with disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND represented proportionately.
• Comprehensive careers programme ensures almost all pupils progress to appropriate education, employment or training.
• Effective support for vulnerable pupils, including early identification of needs and regular review of support plans.
• Staff value leaders' approach to wellbeing, and leaders provide high-quality professional development.
• Post-16 provision is broad, meets students' needs, and all students progress successfully to chosen destinations.
• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Attendance and behaviour are improving, with low-level disruption rare.
• Inclusion is a strength, with leaders prioritising support for vulnerable pupils and teachers applying SEND strategies well.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains above national average for overall absence and persistent absence.
• Teaching is not yet fully consistent across the curriculum, including the use of adaptive strategies.
• Achievement in some subjects is weaker, and progress for disadvantaged pupils remains below national averages.
• Improvements to curriculum and teaching are at an early stage and not yet fully embedded.
• A-level outcomes are below national averages in average point score and value added.

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 Maricourt Catholic High School attended 89.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 7.1% of pupils at Maricourt Catholic High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Maricourt Catholic High School had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 14.2% of pupils at Maricourt Catholic High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Maricourt Catholic High School received £8,363 and spent £8,381 for each of its 1,097 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,050,000 (£957 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 · Sefton local authority: places and applications

What is Maricourt Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Maricourt Catholic High School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Maricourt Catholic High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Maricourt Catholic High School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Maricourt Catholic High School have?

Maricourt Catholic High School has 1,092 pupils on roll.

What age range does Maricourt Catholic High School cover?

Maricourt Catholic High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Maricourt Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.6, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Maricourt Catholic High School?

Maricourt Catholic High School is at Hall Lane, Maghull, Liverpool, Merseyside, L31 3DZ.