Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in all inspection categories. The school has developed a strong curriculum that engages pupils, supported by effective leadership. Teachers are dedicated to improving student outcomes, and children generally enjoy their educational experience, developing positive relationships with staff and peers. The leadership team prioritizes reading and has structured programs in place to support the learning of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Overall, pupils feel happy and safe at school, demonstrating good behavior and active citizenship. However, the school has identified areas for improvement, particularly in ensuring that reading opportunities across the curriculum are more frequent. While subject leaders are working to develop their expertise, inconsistencies in curriculum implementation have been noted, which could affect the depth of learning in certain areas. This inspection marks the school's first routine evaluation since the pandemic, which has been taken into consideration in assessing its current performance.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and develop strong bonds with staff and peers.
• Education is engaging due to a well-structured curriculum linked to local history and geography.
• Teachers effectively assess pupil learning, helping to identify knowledge gaps.
• Strong emphasis on reading, with structured phonics and early reading programs.
• Support for SENT pupils is prompt and effective.
• Pupils demonstrate good behavior with low levels of disruption.
• Broad personal development curriculum with opportunities for leadership and community involvement.

Areas for Improvement

• Opportunities for reading across different subjects are limited.
• Some subject leaders are still developing their expertise, affecting curriculum support consistency.

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 Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.6% 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 Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.4% 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, 16.3% of pupils at Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School received £7,428 and spent £7,657 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £164,000 (-£811 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 · Halton local authority: places and applications

What is Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have?

Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School cover?

Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?

Hale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at Hesketh Road, Hale Village, Liverpool, Merseyside, L24 4AN.