Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School

Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School is performing well overall, having been graded as good in all areas during its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The school provides a nurturing environment where pupils feel valued and are supported in their emotional well-being. Leaders have high expectations for academic success, and the curriculum is carefully reviewed to ensure it meets the needs of all pupils, including those who are new to the country and those with special educational needs. Despite these strengths, some older pupils have not achieved as well due to gaps in their previous learning caused by the pandemic and a high proportion of late joiners to the school.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.
• The school effectively supports pupils' emotional well-being, including through the use of a school dog.
• Leaders maintain high expectations for academic success and regularly review the curriculum.
• Most pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects.
• The revised phonics teaching approach has led to improved outcomes in reading.
• Strong systems are in place to support pupils with special educational needs.

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils struggle to remember earlier learning, impacting their ability to connect new knowledge.
• Pupils' spoken communication skills are underdeveloped, limiting their ability to articulate ideas.
• Attendance rates need improvement, with some pupils missing valuable learning opportunities.

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 Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.0% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Birkenhead Christ Church CofE 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 Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School had 14.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.5% 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, 23.6% of pupils at Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 12.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 24 pupils.

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 Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School received £9,749 and spent £9,994 for each of its 191 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £101,000 (£527 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 Birkenhead · Wirral local authority: places and applications

What is Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School have?

Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School has 203 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School cover?

Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School?

Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School is at Mount Grove, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2UJ.