Anfield Road Primary School

Anfield Road Primary is a calm, nurturing school where pupils are happy, behave well and are proud of their school. Following its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, the school is judged good for the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, while early years provision requires improvement. The large number of pupils joining from overseas are supported well to feel included, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The curriculum has improved considerably since very low key stage 2 results in 2023. In most subjects, key knowledge is clearly defined, teachers question pupils well, and pupils recall important content. Phonics is delivered consistently, and there is strong support for pupils who need to catch up and for those who start school speaking little or no English. Pupils with SEND are identified well and staff make appropriate adaptations. Personal development is a strength, including a new PSHE curriculum, leadership roles and a range of clubs. The school's 'making school unmissable' approach is improving attendance, although persistent absence remains high for some pupils. The main areas for improvement are in early years, where language development in the Nursery Year is too variable and children with the greatest language needs are not supported well enough to communicate and interact with peers. Assessment arrangements in a small number of subjects, including early years, do not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge as effectively as in other subjects. Governors are well informed but do not challenge the effectiveness of pupil premium spending strongly enough, and targets for this funding are not specific or measurable enough. Staff feel well supported and value the professional development and additional time provided to carry out their responsibilities.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, polite and proud of their calm and nurturing school.
• Pupils behave well, with no disruption to learning, and are supportive of one another.
• The large group of pupils joining from overseas is supported well to feel included quickly.
• The curriculum has improved considerably, with key knowledge clearly defined in most subjects.
• Teachers use skilled questioning to help pupils build on prior learning and recall key knowledge.
• Phonics is delivered consistently and effectively, helping pupils read accurately.
• There is effective support for pupils who need to catch up with the curriculum.
• Provision for pupils who start school speaking little or no English is strong.
• Pupils with SEND are identified well and staff make appropriate adaptations to help them access learning.
• The school's 'making school unmissable' approach is having a direct impact on improving attendance.
• The new PSHE curriculum sets high expectations and helps pupils understand equality, health and healthy relationships.
• Pupils benefit from clubs and leadership roles that develop confidence and community.
• Governors are well informed about the school and understand recent improvement work.
• Staff feel well supported through professional development and additional time for curriculum responsibilities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years provision requires improvement.
• Language development in the Nursery Year, including for two-year-olds, is too varied in effectiveness.
• Children with the greatest language needs are not able to communicate and interact with peers as well as they should.
• Assessment arrangements in a small number of subjects, including early years, do not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge well enough.
• Persistent absence remains high for some pupils, despite the school's improving attendance work.
• Governors do not hold the school to account well enough for the effectiveness of pupil premium spending.
• Pupil premium targets are not specific and measurable enough to show the difference the funding makes.
• Published key stage 2 outcomes in 2023 were very low, although current standards are improving.

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 Anfield Road Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.5% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Anfield Road Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Anfield Road Primary School had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.2% 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, 32.9% of pupils at Anfield Road Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Anfield Road Primary School received £7,972 and spent £8,071 for each of its 663 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £93,000 (-£141 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 Anfield Road Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Anfield Road Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Anfield Road Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Anfield Road Primary School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Anfield Road Primary School have?

Anfield Road Primary School has 702 pupils on roll.

What age range does Anfield Road Primary School cover?

Anfield Road Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 29% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Anfield Road Primary School?

Anfield Road Primary School is at Anfield Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L4 0TN.