Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School
Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school in Liverpool for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 216 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023. In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Teacher turnover is high, with about 46% of its teachers gone within a year (in 2024/25; nationally, 16%).
Ofsted inspection: March 2023. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Voluntary aided school |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Sparrow Hall Road Liverpool Merseyside L9 6BU |
| Phone | 01515258552 |
| Reference Number | 131837 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 216 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 55.09%
Girls: 44.91% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 57.7% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 28.2% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 26.6 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 25.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 29 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| 2 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| 3 | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| 4 | 19 | 11 | 30 |
| 5 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| 6 | 17 | 13 | 30 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 58.3% |
| African | 9.3% |
| Indian | 6.9% |
| Asian, Other | 5.1% |
| White, Other | 3.7% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.4% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.9% |
| Chinese | 0.9% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.9% |
| Irish | 0.5% |
| Pakistani | 0.5% |
Our Lady and St Philomena’s Catholic Primary School is performing well overall, with a consistent rating of 'Good' across all inspection areas. Pupils exhibit positive attitudes toward their learning, feeling both happy and safe in their environment. The curriculum is ambitious and thoughtfully sequenced, particularly for early years education, enabling students, including those with SEND, to achieve well. However, certain aspects, like ensuring upper key stage 2 pupils are exposed to a broader variety of literature, need improvement to enhance their learning experience further.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| > Quality of education | Good |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Good |
| > Personal Development | Good |
| > Leadership & Management | Good |
| > Early Years Provision | Good |
| Last Report Date | 08 Feb 2023 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 08 Feb 2023 | School inspection: |
| 04 Jul 2017 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Mar 2016 | Monitoring visit |
| 29 Sep 2015 | Monitoring visit |
| 02 Jul 2015 | Monitoring visit |
| 17 Mar 2015 | Monitoring visit |
| 09 Dec 2014 | Monitoring visit |
| 16 Sep 2014 | Full inspection: |
| 29 Jan 2013 | Monitoring visit |
| 13 Nov 2012 | Full inspection: |
| 10 Nov 2010 | Full inspection: |
| 01 Nov 2006 | Full inspection: |
| 26 Feb 2001 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Pupils feel happy and safe at the school.
- High expectations from leaders and staff support pupils' achievements.
- A well-structured and ambitious curriculum is implemented effectively.
- Strong focus on early reading and phonics, ensuring pupils master reading skills.
- Positive behaviour and respectful attitudes among pupils.
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils struggle to recall prior learning, affecting their understanding of new concepts.
- Upper key stage 2 pupils lack exposure to a diverse range of authors.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 55% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 0% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 101 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 104 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -0.8 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 2.9 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 3 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 4 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 3 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
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UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School had 196 pupils for 210 places. 14 places (6.7%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “NORRIS GREEN Primary” planning area
Liverpool counted 228 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 195 in 2029–30, down 14%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 210 | 210 | 203 | 203 | 203 | 203 | 203 | 198 | 198 | 198 | 198 | 198 | 198 | 198 | 210 |
| Pupils | 230 | 204 | 182 | 166 | 174 | 153 | 145 | 166 | 190 | 195 | 196 | 196 | 202 | 199 | 196 |
| Unfilled | 0.0% | 2.9% | 10.3% | 18.2% | 14.3% | 24.6% | 28.6% | 16.2% | 4.0% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 6.7% |
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 Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.9% | 4.0% | 5.1% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.8% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 4.0% | 3.7% |
| Unauthorised absence | 2.2% | 2.1% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 3.4% | 2.4% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.7% | 0.0% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 2.1% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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, 0.9% of pupils at Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School had 25.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 46.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 13.3 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 9.9 | 12.1 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.3 | 11.2 | 12.4 | 11.9 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 9.7 | 13.3 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 7.9% | 9.4% | 4.0% | 47.9% | 54.5% | 0.0% | 22.2% | 9.8% | 19.6% | 18.2% | 20.0% | 10.0% | 11.1% | 17.9% | 8.9% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 30.8% | 27.3% | 58.3% | 66.7% | 45.5% | 14.3% | 33.3% | 15.4% | 18.2% | – | 33.3% | 63.6% | 26.7% | 21.4% | 41.7% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 1.3 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 20.5 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 8.0 | – | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 12.0 | – |
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, 15.3% of pupils at Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 24 | 5 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 5 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 2 | 1 |
| Hearing impairment | 2 | 0 |
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 Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School received £8,311 and spent £8,393 for each of its 205 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £148,000 (£723 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | -£262,000 | -£153,000 | £50,000 | £153,000 | £112,000 | £101,000 | £165,000 | £148,000 |
| per pupil | -£1,287 | -£743 | £246 | £747 | £550 | £484 | £810 | £723 |
| In-year balance | £53,000 | £109,000 | £202,000 | £103,000 | -£40,000 | -£11,000 | £64,000 | -£17,000 |
| per pupil | £258 | £532 | £1,000 | £503 | -£197 | -£53 | £312 | -£82 |
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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All schools in Liverpool · Liverpool local authority: places and applications
What is Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.
When was Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in March 2023.
How many pupils does Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School have?
Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School has 216 pupils on roll.
What age range does Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School cover?
Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School?
Our Lady and St Philomena's Catholic Primary School is at Sparrow Hall Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L9 6BU.