St Edward's College

St Edward’s College is performing well across all key areas in this inspection and has improved since its previous inspection. Pupils and parents are positive about recent changes, and pupils typically achieve well through a broad, ambitious curriculum; sixth-form students move on to an impressive range of university destinations. Behaviour is improving rapidly, most pupils are respectful, and staff deal effectively with bullying and discrimination. Personal development is a notable strength, with extensive extracurricular opportunities, strong community involvement, and improved PSHE and careers guidance. Safeguarding is effective. The school is the only school in its single-academy trust, and governors and the trust have steered it through a period of leadership instability. A new headteacher took up post in September 2024, and decisive action has addressed earlier concerns about behaviour and welfare. Staff value recent work to manage workload and provide subject-specific development. Two main areas need further work. Some teachers do not consistently adapt learning to pupils’ needs and starting points, which holds back some pupils, including those with SEND. In addition, a small group of vulnerable pupils miss school frequently; the school has not analysed the reasons well enough and support is sometimes not effective, so these pupils miss essential learning and wider opportunities.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious and well-designed curriculum that helps pupils build secure knowledge.
• Pupils typically achieve well, and sixth-form students progress to an impressive range of university destinations.
• Behaviour is improving rapidly, with most pupils respectful and staff dealing effectively with bullying and discrimination.
• Pupils feel happier and safer and have renewed confidence in staff support.
• Extensive, accessible extracurricular programme in sport, music and leadership.
• Strong spiritual and moral development with many opportunities to contribute to local and global communities.
• Reading has a high priority, and pupils who struggle catch up quickly through effective support.
• Teachers are subject experts who explain new content clearly.
• Improved PSHE and effective careers guidance prepare pupils well for future life.
• Staff value purposeful, manageable workload and subject-specific development opportunities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors and the trust provided decisive leadership through a period of instability and addressed parental concerns.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not adapt learning activities sufficiently to pupils’ needs and starting points.
• Some teachers do not meet the needs of pupils with SEND as well as they should.
• A small group of vulnerable pupils frequently miss school and therefore miss essential learning and wider opportunities.
• The school has not analysed the reasons for these absences well enough, and support is sometimes not effective.

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 Edward's College attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 6.2% of pupils at St Edward's College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 9 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 Edward's College had 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 12.6% of pupils at St Edward's College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 St Edward's College received £7,750 and spent £7,239 for each of its 1,162 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £223,000 (-£192 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,923 and spending £6,646 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Liverpool · Liverpool local authority: places and applications

St Edward's College is part of The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• De La Salle School St. Helens
• St Anselm's College Prenton
• Saint Ambrose College Altrincham
• St Joseph's College Stoke-On-Trent

What is St Edward's College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Edward's College is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was St Edward's College last inspected by Ofsted?

St Edward's College was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does St Edward's College have?

St Edward's College has 1,150 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Edward's College cover?

St Edward's College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Edward's College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 53.3, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Edward's College?

St Edward's College is at Sandfield Park, Liverpool, Merseyside, L12 1LF.