Dovecot Primary School

Dovecot Primary School is a small primary in a highly disadvantaged area of Liverpool, with a much higher-than-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and above-average SEN support. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is strongest in its early years provision, inclusion work and personal development: children get a positive start, phonics is taught well, disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are supported, and pupils benefit from a broad enrichment and pastoral offer. However, the school is not yet consistently delivering the quality of education pupils need. Achievement requires attention: pupils have gaps in mathematics and writing, and attainment at the end of key stage 2 is below average, including for disadvantaged pupils. Attendance is consistently below the national average, persistent absence remains high, and some pupils do not engage well in lessons. Curriculum and teaching also require improvement. Teaching is inconsistent, assessment is not used sharply enough, and leaders have not acted quickly enough to address weaknesses or ensure high expectations. Governors support the school through a turbulent period but do not challenge leaders sufficiently on curriculum and teaching. The next steps focus on acting faster on weaknesses, improving assessment and expectations, closing knowledge gaps, and reducing attendance barriers.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start and is well organised.
• Phonics is taught consistently well, with pupils reading accurately and confidently.
• Staff model and extend early communication and language effectively.
• Inclusion work reduces barriers for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Pupils with SEND typically make appropriate progress from their starting points.
• Personal development is coherent and broad, with enrichment, trips and community activities.
• Pupils learn about healthy relationships, online safety and British values.
• Pupils build positive relationships with staff and generally behave well.
• Pastoral support for pupils and families is comprehensive.
• The curriculum is well organised and structured to build knowledge over time.
• Staff have access to professional learning and local school networks.
• Leaders and governors are committed to community partnerships and supporting families.
• Pupils are safe and incidents of bullying or derogatory language are dealt with quickly.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not consistently build the key knowledge and skills needed for the next stage.
• There are gaps in pupils' mathematical knowledge and writing fluency across the curriculum.
• KS2 attainment is below average in reading, writing and mathematics, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Year 4 multiplication tables check attainment is below the national average.
• Attendance is consistently below the national average.
• Persistent absence remains high with little sign of improvement over time.
• Some pupils do not participate well in lessons.
• Teaching is inconsistent, with assessment not used well to check understanding or give feedback.
• Some learning activities are not matched well enough to curriculum content.
• Teachers do not always close gaps in knowledge before moving on to new concepts.
• Leaders have not acted swiftly or effectively enough to address weaknesses in curriculum and teaching.
• Expectations for what pupils can achieve are not high enough.
• Governors do not challenge leaders sufficiently on curriculum and teaching.
• Leaders do not ensure a sharp enough focus on pupils catching up on missed learning.
• Some pupils arrive late and miss important learning.
• Term-time holidays continue to be a barrier to improving attendance.

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 Dovecot Primary School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.2% 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 Dovecot 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 Dovecot Primary School had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 14.1% of pupils at Dovecot Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 Dovecot Primary School received £9,538 and spent £8,998 for each of its 182 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £373,000 (-£2,051 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 Dovecot Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dovecot Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Dovecot Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dovecot Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Dovecot Primary School have?

Dovecot Primary School has 192 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dovecot Primary School cover?

Dovecot Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 25% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dovecot Primary School?

Dovecot Primary School is at Grant Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L14 0LH.