St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School

St Bernard’s Roman Catholic Primary School demonstrates a good overall effectiveness in delivering quality education, with notable strengths in personal development and leadership. The school maintains a positive atmosphere where pupils feel safe and valued, encouraging strong relationships within the community. Educational trips and after-school activities enhance the learning experience, fostering a love for learning and supporting students' ambitions. Although there has been progress in the reading curriculum, challenges remain in phonics, particularly for some pupils who struggle to achieve the expected standards early on. Furthermore, attendance levels have been consistently below the national average, impacting overall student performance.

Strengths

• A strong sense of community and positive relationships among pupils and staff.
• Curriculum is well structured, imaginative, and supports students' learning across subjects.
• Outstanding personal development and support for students’ well-being.
• Effective leadership that values staff and provides ample training opportunities.
• High standards of behavior and safety within the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils struggle to reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.
• Pupils' attendance has been below the national average, with many persistently absent.

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 Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% 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 St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery 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 Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 16.3% of pupils at St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 2024–25 St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School received £8,158 and spent £8,774 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £24,000 (£119 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,250 and spending £8,645 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 Ellesmere Port · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School is part of Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• St John Plessington Catholic College Wirral
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Runcorn
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead Prenton
• Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery School Wirral
• St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Wallasey
• St Mary's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Wallasey
• SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Wallasey
• Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Warrington

What is St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School have?

St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School has 209 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School cover?

St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School?

St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School is at Sherbourne Road, Ellesmere Port, Merseyside, CH65 5EW.