St Nicholas Catholic Academy

St Nicholas Catholic Academy is an inclusive primary school where pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Inspectors found a welcoming culture, strong reading and phonics provision, effective SEND support, good behaviour and a broad personal development programme. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of St Joseph Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, and this was its first section 5 inspection and first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The main areas for improvement are curriculum implementation and assessment. In some subjects, the intended curriculum is not delivered consistently, which could leave gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Assessment information is also not shared well enough beyond individual classrooms, so leaders do not have a deep enough understanding of what pupils know and can do to make necessary curriculum adjustments. Attendance work is making a difference, although attendance remains a concern for some pupils and the school continues to work with families.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive culture for families from all over the world
• Pupils achieve well, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Calm, polite and helpful behaviour with positive attitudes to learning
• Strong reading and phonics provision, including support for new pupils learning English
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND
• Nurturing early years environment with well-qualified staff
• Comprehensive personal, social and health education programme
• Wide range of clubs, competitive sport and leadership opportunities
• Attendance strategies are making a difference
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Supportive trust and local governing board

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent in some subjects, so intended content is not always delivered as planned
• Assessment information is not shared well enough beyond individual classrooms
• The school lacks a deep enough understanding of what pupils know and can do in some subjects
• Inconsistent curriculum delivery may lead to gaps in pupils’ knowledge
• Leaders cannot always make necessary curriculum changes in response to assessment information

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 Nicholas Catholic Academy attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.1% 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 Nicholas Catholic Academy 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 Nicholas Catholic Academy had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.6% 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, 11.5% of pupils at St Nicholas Catholic Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Nicholas Catholic Academy received £8,176 and spent £7,713 for each of its 186 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £20,000 (£109 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £9,073 and spending £8,887 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 Nicholas Catholic Academy is part of St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• The Trinity Catholic Academy Liverpool
• Notre Dame Catholic Academy Liverpool
• St Charles' Catholic Academy Liverpool
• St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy Liverpool
• Holy Spirit Catholic Academy Bootle
• St Ambrose Catholic Academy Liverpool
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy St Helens
• St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy St. Helens
• Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy Runcorn
• Holy Family Catholic Academy Wigan

What is St Nicholas Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Nicholas Catholic Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Nicholas Catholic Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Nicholas Catholic Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Nicholas Catholic Academy have?

St Nicholas Catholic Academy has 157 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Nicholas Catholic Academy cover?

St Nicholas Catholic Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Nicholas Catholic Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Nicholas Catholic Academy?

St Nicholas Catholic Academy is at Orthes Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 5XF.