Faith Primary Academy

Faith Primary Academy is a small, caring primary school in a highly deprived area, with a much higher-than-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEN support. It has undergone significant change since its last inspection, including joining a multi-academy trust and a change in leadership. Inspectors found much to praise: attendance is well above national averages, behaviour is calm and respectful, inclusion is embedded, and personal development and wellbeing are strong. Safeguarding requirements are met. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised, and early years provision gives children a positive start, although practice is not consistently strong. Leadership and governance are effective, with good use of trust support, staff development and parent and community engagement. However, achievement is the main area needing improvement: published outcomes are variable and below national averages in several areas, especially at the end of key stage 2, and disadvantaged pupils and some pupils with SEND do not make the progress they should from their starting points. Leaders are taking targeted action and there are signs of improvement in phonics and multiplication tables, but sustained impact at key stage 2 is not yet evident. Inspectors also identified that staff sometimes do not check prior knowledge or secure subject-specific vocabulary, which can leave gaps in pupils’ learning. In early years, teaching is sometimes less effective at revisiting and reinforcing important learning. The next steps focus on improving outcomes and readiness for the next stage, strengthening early years interactions, addressing learning gaps, and developing pupils’ subject vocabulary.

Strengths

• Attendance is consistently well above national averages, including for pupils with SEND and complex challenges.
• Behaviour is calm, respectful and purposeful, with very low-level disruption and rare bullying.
• Pupils feel safe and confident that concerns will be addressed promptly and decisively.
• Inclusion is embedded, and disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and those known to social care participate fully in school life.
• Leaders identify additional needs quickly and use training, adaptations and targeted interventions effectively.
• Personal development is extensive and tailored, including British values, enrichment, PHSE and pastoral care.
• Pupils take active roles in the school and wider community, including campaigns and school council work.
• The curriculum is ambitious, broad and carefully sequenced, with strong foundations in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Phonics and mathematics interventions are improving outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening and Year 4 multiplication tables check.
• Early years provision is well sequenced, focuses on communication and language, and builds warm relationships with families.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with accurate self-evaluation, strategic resourcing and strong trust support.
• Staff development is coherent and evidence-informed, and leaders manage workload thoughtfully.
• Parent and community engagement is a strength, including family learning workshops and community events.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is inconsistent across year groups and too many pupils do not know or remember essential knowledge.
• Published outcomes have been variable and remain below national averages in several areas, especially at the end of key stage 2.
• Disadvantaged pupils and some pupils with SEND do not make the progress they should from their starting points, although gaps are beginning to close.
• Staff sometimes do not check what pupils already know and do not know, so gaps in learning can widen.
• Staff do not consistently ensure pupils have secured subject-specific vocabulary, which hinders curriculum progress.
• Early years teaching is occasionally less effective because important learning is not revisited and reinforced.
• Sustained impact of improvements at key stage 2 is not yet evident, so some pupils are not as prepared for key stage 3 as they should be.
• Leaders need to improve outcomes so that more pupils are ready for the next stage of their education.

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 Faith Primary Academy attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.5% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Faith Primary 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 Faith Primary Academy had 20.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.2% 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, 33.7% of pupils at Faith Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Faith Primary Academy received £9,252 and spent £9,704 for each of its 196 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £213,000 (£1,086 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of The Liverpool Joint Catholic and Church of England Academies Trust, income was £8,407 and spending £8,419 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.

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

Faith Primary Academy is part of The Liverpool Joint Catholic and Church of England Academies Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• The Academy of St Francis of Assisi Liverpool
• St Cleopas' Church of England Primary Academy Liverpool
• St Teresa of Lisieux Catholic Primary Academy Liverpool
• St Margaret's Church of England Academy Liverpool
• The Academy of St Nicholas Liverpool
• St Michaels Church of England Academy Crosby
• Trinity St Peter's CofE Primary School Liverpool
• St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy Newton-Le-Willows
• St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy St Helens
• Hope Academy Newton-Le-Willows

What is Faith Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Faith Primary Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Faith Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Faith Primary Academy was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Faith Primary Academy have?

Faith Primary Academy has 178 pupils on roll.

What age range does Faith Primary Academy cover?

Faith Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Faith Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Faith Primary Academy?

Faith Primary Academy is at Prince Edwin Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L5 3LW.