St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School

About St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School

St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary in Knowsley, serving 240 pupils aged 3 to 11. In the local authority’s primary school rankings, it sits 24th out of 47 schools, placing it in the bottom half of Knowsley’s state primaries. The top-performing peers in the area are Halewood Church of England Primary Academy, Halsnead Primary School, and Malvern Primary School, all of which rank higher on the same metric. The school is noticeably oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 65 applications for just 28 places, with 30 of those as first preferences and 27 offers made to first-preference families. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 2.32, suggesting strong local demand despite its mid-table ranking. The school also has a nursery provision for three-year-olds, which feeds into the main school.

Academically, St Andrew’s performs around the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 60% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which matches the Knowsley LA average of 60%. Reading scores averaged 103 and maths 102, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. However, only 3% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects, and the school’s national ranking on this measure places it in the bottom 50% of primaries. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025, the school was rated Good overall, with Outstanding marks for early years provision and personal development. Behaviour and attitudes, quality of education, and leadership and management were all rated Good. The previous inspection, back in 2010, also gave a Good rating, so the school has maintained a consistent standard over time.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a chapel, music rooms, art studios, a sensory room, and playing fields. Sports provision covers cross country, athletics, dance, rounders, cricket, tennis, and gymnastics, while clubs include eco club, gardening, chess, and coding. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 35 families were overwhelmingly positive: 91% would recommend the school, and 74% strongly agreed their child is happy there. Strong majorities also felt the school has high expectations and supports wider personal development. This is a school that suits families seeking a faith-based primary with a strong pastoral reputation, particularly those who value early years provision and a wide range of extracurricular activities, even if academic results are broadly in line with the local average.

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