St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School

St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary is performing strongly overall, with most areas of its work judged strong. Leaders have built a clear, well-sequenced curriculum and backed it with comprehensive staff training, so teachers explain learning clearly and use questioning well to deepen pupils' understanding. Early years is a notable strength, including the newly added provision for two-year-olds, and inclusion is strong: pupils' needs are identified early, support is put in place swiftly, and pupils in the specially resourced SEMH provision are well integrated and prepared for their next steps. Leadership and governance are strong. Governors understand the school well, use external sources to validate information, and fulfil their statutory duties, while staff value the consideration given to their workload and wellbeing. Personal development and wellbeing are also strong, with a well-designed PSHE curriculum, clear promotion of British Values, and enrichment activities made accessible to disadvantaged pupils, those with SEND and pupils who speak English as an additional language. Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, disruption is rare, and safeguarding standards are met. Achievement and attendance/behaviour are judged at the expected standard. Attainment is broadly similar to national figures, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND achieve well from their starting points, particularly in reading. However, writing is less consistent between year groups, and some pupils' written work varies in quality and presentation. Persistent absence has improved for some pupils but remains an issue for a minority. The school serves acommunity with high levels of disadvantage and SEN support, and its Catholic ethos and SEMH resourced provision are important parts of its context.

Strengths

• Clear curriculum plans across subjects with relevant and enjoyable topics
• Comprehensive staff training supports strong subject delivery
• Staff use questioning and correction well to deepen pupils' understanding
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND secure important foundational knowledge
• Early years provision gives children a strong start, including two-year-olds
• Staff develop communication and language effectively to support phonics and reading
• Inclusion is strong, with needs identified early and barriers reduced swiftly
• Pupils in the specially resourced SEMH provision are well integrated
• Leaders and governors understand the school and prioritise improvement well
• Governors use external validation and fulfil their statutory duties
• Personal development promotes respect, British Values and safety
• Enrichment trips, clubs and visitors are accessible to disadvantaged, SEND and EAL pupils
• Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, and disruption is rare
• Attendance initiatives have improved attendance for some pupils
• Safeguarding standards are met

Areas for Improvement

• A minority of pupils remain persistently absent and miss too much learning
• Pupils' achievement in writing could be strengthened further
• The quality and presentation of written work vary between classes, especially in key stage 1
• Pupils' understanding of sentence structure in key stage 1 needs further development
• Handwriting and presentation need improvement across the school

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 Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School attended 94.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Michael and All Angels 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 Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.3% 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, 29.3% of pupils at St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 3 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 St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School received £8,687 and spent £9,119 for each of its 205 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £106,000 (£519 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 Wirral · Wirral local authority: places and applications

What is St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School have?

St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School has 208 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School cover?

St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Michael and All Angels 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 Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School?

St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School is at New Hey Road, Upton, Wirral, Merseyside, CH49 5LE.