St Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the Community

About St Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the Community

St Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the Community is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary in Knowsley, one of 47 schools of its type in the local authority. It ranks 25th in the borough, placing it in the middle of the pack, with a ranking score of 60 based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. The top-performing peers in Knowsley are Halewood Church of England Primary Academy, Halsnead Primary School and Malvern Primary School, all of which sit above St Leo's in the local rankings. The school is also within 0.6 kilometres of Whiston Willis Primary Academy, the nearest Outstanding-rated school in the area. With 219 pupils on roll against a capacity of 261, the school is not yet full, but it was oversubscribed for 2025/26 admissions, receiving 36 applications for 25 places and making 22 offers to first-preference families.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2018, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. An ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. Early years provision was rated Good in the 2018 inspection, and the previous inspection in 2012 also gave an overall Good rating. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 60% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, exactly matching the Knowsley local authority average of 60%. However, only 4% reached the higher standard in all three subjects. In maths, 80% met the expected standard and 32% reached the higher standard, with an average score of 105. Reading saw 76% at the expected level and 8% at the higher level, with an average score of 102. Writing had 60% at the expected level and 4% at the higher level. Nationally, the school ranks in the 58th percentile among all primaries, and within the North West it sits in the 55th percentile.

The school offers a range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, chapel, art studios, music rooms, ICT suite and library. Sports provision covers netball, football, dance, gymnastics, rounders, cross country and tennis, while clubs include film, drama, book club, choir and eco club. SEND support is available for pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. With nursery provision on site, the school serves children from age three. Given its oversubscription and Good rating, St Leo's is a solid local choice for Catholic families in Knowsley who want a school that performs in line with the LA average, with a strong pastoral and SEND offer and a wide range of extracurricular activities.

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