St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School

About St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School

St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School in Knowsley is a Church of England primary that currently educates 229 pupils, which is 19 above its official capacity of 210. This oversubscription is reflected in its admissions data for the 2025/26 intake: the school received 36 applications for 28 places, with 21 of those coming as first preferences, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.29. The school serves a community with a high level of disadvantage — 53% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. This context makes the school's intake notably different from many primaries in more affluent areas, and the fact that it remains popular with local families despite this suggests it is meeting a genuine need. The school has a nursery provision, so children can join from age three, and it offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, a chapel, music rooms and an ICT suite, which are not always standard in a primary of this size.

Academically, the school performs well against local benchmarks. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Knowsley local authority average of 60%. That places the school 10th out of 47 primaries in the borough, putting it in the top 22% locally. Nationally, it sits in the top 27% of all primaries for this combined measure. In individual subjects, 81% met the expected standard in both reading and maths, and 71% did so in writing. Higher-standard attainment is more modest — 6% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined — but average scaled scores of 107 in reading and 105 in maths are solid. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, rated it Good across all five categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Its previous inspection in 2013 also rated it Good, so the school has maintained a consistent standard over a decade.

For families considering this school, the practical picture is reassuring. The school is oversubscribed, so applying as a first preference is important. It has a clear Church of England character, which may be a factor for some families, though the admissions policy will determine priority. The school has a strong set of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder — so it is well equipped to support a range of additional needs. Facilities include a gymnasium, music rooms and a Forest School, and the extracurricular offer is broad: clubs range from gardening and coding to chess, art, film and choir, plus sports including athletics, football, rounders, cross country and dance. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Whiston Willis Primary Academy, 0.7 km away, which gives local families a nearby alternative if they are looking for a different Ofsted grade.

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