Rock Ferry Primary School
Rock Ferry Primary School is an academy converter in Birkenhead for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 301 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Rock Ferry Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2020 of its predecessor, Rock Ferry Primary School. In 2025, 28% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: January 2024. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Ionic Street Rock Ferry Birkenhead Merseyside CH42 2BL |
| Phone | 01516451017 |
| Reference Number | 150115 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 301 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 49.17%
Girls: 50.83% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 67% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 16.3% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 20.6 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 17.8 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 21 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 25 | 39 |
| 2 | 11 | 21 | 32 |
| 3 | 20 | 20 | 40 |
| 4 | 19 | 27 | 46 |
| 5 | 24 | 17 | 41 |
| 6 | 23 | 18 | 41 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 74.4% |
| African | 8.6% |
| White, Other | 4.3% |
| White & Asian | 1.7% |
| Indian | 1.7% |
| Irish | 1.7% |
| Asian, Other | 1.7% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.3% |
| Caribbean | 1% |
| Pakistani | 0.3% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Rock Ferry Primary School, inspected in February 2020.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 04 Jan 2024 | Academy conversion letter |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 28% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 0% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 99 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 98 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
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See how Rock Ferry Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 15 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 10 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Rock Ferry Primary School had 291 pupils for 345 places. 54 places (15.7%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “South Birkenhead Primary” planning area
Wirral counted 214 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 214 in 2029–30, down 0%.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Places | 351 | 345 |
| Pupils | 278 | 291 |
| Unfilled | 20.8% | 15.7% |
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 Rock Ferry Primary School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Unauthorised absence | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| Severely absent pupils | 1.6% | 0.8% |
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, 2.8% of pupils at Rock Ferry Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 4.9 | 4.1 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 |
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 Rock Ferry Primary School had 17.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 9.5 | 9.4 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 7.2% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 55.6% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 3.1 | – |
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, 34.6% of pupils at Rock Ferry Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 58 | 5 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 42 | 3 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 0 | 1 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 1 | 0 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 1 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 1 | 0 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 1 | 0 |
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 Rock Ferry Primary School received £8,526 and spent £8,553 for each of its 308 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £201,000 (£653 per pupil).
Across all 11 schools of Expedition Schools, income was £7,320 and spending £6,995 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £201,000 |
| per pupil | £653 |
| In-year balance | -£8,000 |
| per pupil | -£27 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Well Lane Primary School
Park Road, Tranmere, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 5PF |
0.37 miles |
|
St Anne's Catholic Primary School
Highfield South, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 4NE |
0.52 miles |
|
Mersey Park Primary School
Elm Road, Higher Tranmere, Wirral, Merseyside, CH42 0PH |
0.64 miles |
|
Bedford Drive Primary School
Bedford Drive, Rock Ferry, Bedford Drive Primary, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 6RT |
0.65 miles |
|
St John's Catholic Junior School
Old Chester Road, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 7LH |
0.93 miles |
|
Grove Street Primary School
Grove Street Primary School, Grove Street, New Ferry, Wirral, Merseyside, CH62 5BA |
0.97 miles |
|
St John's Catholic Infant School
Old Chester Road, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 7LH |
0.97 miles |
|
Devonshire Park Primary School
Temple Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 9JX |
0.98 miles |
|
Woodlands Primary School
Hollybank Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2SY |
1.09 miles |
|
Woodchurch Road Academy
99 Woodchurch Road, Oxton, Woodchurch Road Academy, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 9LJ |
1.16 miles |
|
St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School
Park Grove, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2TD |
1.18 miles |
|
Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School
Mount Grove, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2UJ |
1.21 miles |
|
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead
Woodchurch Road, Oxton, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 5UT |
1.22 miles |
|
St Andrew's CofE Primary School
Townfield Lane, Bebington, WIRRAL, Merseyside, CH63 7NL |
1.25 miles |
|
Town Lane Infant School
Town Lane, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 8LD |
1.32 miles |
|
Church Drive Primary School
Church Drive, Port Sunlight, Wirral, Merseyside, CH62 5EF |
1.46 miles |
|
Higher Bebington Junior School
Mill Road, Higher Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 8QE |
1.56 miles |
|
Brackenwood Infant School
Pulford Road, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 2HN |
1.59 miles |
|
Cathcart Street Primary School
Dover Close, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, CH41 3JY |
1.63 miles |
|
Oxton St Saviour's CofE Primary School
Holm Lane, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 2HT |
1.64 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Utopia
The Vikes, 40 Thorsway, Rock Ferry, Merseyside, CH42 1NW |
0.06 miles |
|
Prenton High School for Girls
Hesketh Avenue, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 6RR |
0.73 miles |
|
St John Plessington Catholic College
Old Chester Road, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 7LF |
1.03 miles |
|
Horizons Independent School
60 Mendip Road, Birkenhead, Cheshire, CH42 8NU |
1.05 miles |
|
Progress Schools - Hamilton Square
60 Hamilton Square, Wirral, CH41 5AT |
1.37 miles |
|
Wirral Metropolitan College
Conway Park Campus, Conway Park, Europa Boulevard, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 4NT |
1.41 miles |
|
Progress Schools - Wirral
The Hive, Bright Street, Wirral, CH41 4EA |
1.45 miles |
|
Co-op Academy Bebington
Higher Bebington Road, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 2PS |
1.47 miles |
|
IMPACT Northwest Schools
Unit 1-4 Tower House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FF |
1.73 miles |
|
Birkenhead Park School
Park Road South, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UY |
1.77 miles |
|
Wirral Grammar School for Girls
Heath Road, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 3AF |
1.77 miles |
|
Wirral Grammar School for Boys
Cross Lane, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, CH63 3AQ |
1.8 miles |
|
Birkenhead High School Academy
86 Devonshire Place, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 1TY |
1.91 miles |
|
Liverpool Life Sciences UTC
41 Greenland Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 0BS |
1.92 miles |
|
The Studio School Liverpool
41 Greenland Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 0BS |
1.92 miles |
|
St Anselm's College
Manor Hill, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 1UQ |
1.94 miles |
|
Birkenhead School
58 Beresford Road, Prenton, CH43 2JD |
2 miles |
|
King's Leadership Academy, Liverpool
Dingle Vale, Liverpool, Merseyside, L8 9SJ |
2.17 miles |
|
Progress Schools - Liverpool
19 Back Canning Street, Liverpool, L8 7PB |
2.18 miles |
|
Nazene Danielle School of Performing Arts
Lower Ground Floor, the Port of Liverpool Building, Liverpool, L3 1BY |
2.19 miles |
All schools in Birkenhead · Wirral local authority: places and applications
Rock Ferry Primary School is part of Expedition Schools, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:
- Woodchurch Road Academy Birkenhead
- Brookhurst Primary School Wirral
- Pinehurst Primary School Liverpool
- Gayton Primary School Wirral
- Woodfall Primary and Nursery School Neston
- Mill View Primary School Chester
- Boughton Heath Academy Chester
- Kelsall Primary and Nursery School Tarporley
- Hebden Green Community School Winsford
- Over Hall Community School Winsford
What is Rock Ferry Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Rock Ferry Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2020 of its predecessor, Rock Ferry Primary School.
When was Rock Ferry Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
Rock Ferry Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.
How many pupils does Rock Ferry Primary School have?
Rock Ferry Primary School has 301 pupils on roll.
What age range does Rock Ferry Primary School cover?
Rock Ferry Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are Rock Ferry Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 28% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Rock Ferry Primary School?
Rock Ferry Primary School is at Ionic Street, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 2BL.
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