St Christopher's Catholic Primary School

St Christopher's Catholic Primary School is a larger-than-average Catholic primary in Speke serving a community with high levels of disadvantage. It is performing at the expected standard across most areas, including achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils feel safe, valued and known as individuals, behaviour is calm and respectful, and the school's Catholic ethos creates a strong family feel. The curriculum is coherent and ambitious, with secure foundations in reading and mathematics, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported. Achievement has improved, and key stage 2 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are close to national averages. Disadvantaged pupils' progress is a strength, particularly in reading. However, phonics outcomes and multiplication tables fluency remain below national averages, and some pupils are not as well prepared for their next steps as they should be. Teaching is mostly effective, but misunderstandings and gaps in learning are not always identified or addressed quickly enough. The main concern is attendance. Overall absence and persistent absence are above national levels and affect pupils' learning, especially disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Leaders understand the school's priorities, are taking action, and work closely with families and external agencies, but attendance has not yet improved enough. Leadership, governance and safeguarding are secure, and staff feel supported and valued.

Strengths

• Coherent, ambitious curriculum with secure foundations in reading and mathematics
• Strong inclusion practice; SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well supported to access the full curriculum
• Early years provision effectively builds children's language, communication and number skills
• Caring Catholic ethos; pupils feel safe, valued and known as individuals
• Pupils behave well in a calm and orderly school environment
• Personal development and enrichment are strong, with no pupil missing out due to cost or transport barriers
• Disadvantaged pupils' progress, especially in reading, is a strength
• Leadership and governance have an accurate understanding of strengths and priorities
• Staff feel proud and valued, and leaders consider workload and wellbeing
• Safeguarding culture is open and meets requirements

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains below national levels and persistent absence is high, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Phonics outcomes remain below national averages
• Pupils' fluency with multiplication tables remains below national expectations
• Some pupils are not as well prepared for their next steps as they should be
• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding quickly enough, allowing misconceptions or errors to be repeated
• Pupils who have missed learning do not always receive timely help to catch up
• Outcomes do not yet fully reflect leaders' actions to improve consistency in teaching

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 Christopher's Catholic Primary School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.9% 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, 1.0% of pupils at St Christopher's 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 Christopher's Catholic Primary School had 26.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 15.7% of pupils at St Christopher's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 St Christopher's Catholic Primary School received £7,485 and spent £7,579 for each of its 377 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £85,000 (£227 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 · Liverpool local authority: places and applications

What is St Christopher's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Christopher's Catholic Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was St Christopher's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Christopher's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does St Christopher's Catholic Primary School have?

St Christopher's Catholic Primary School has 389 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Christopher's Catholic Primary School cover?

St Christopher's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Christopher's Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Christopher's Catholic Primary School?

St Christopher's Catholic Primary School is at Tarbock Road, Speke, Liverpool, Merseyside, L24 0SN.