St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School
103%
Capacity
403
Pupils
1.4x
Demand
About St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School
St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School in Knowsley is a popular choice among local families, with 42 first-preference applications for 53 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.43. This means for every place available, just over one family put it as their top pick, though the school was oversubscribed overall with 76 total applications. ParentView data isn't available in the school's records, so we can't report a recommend percentage, but the first-preference figures suggest a solid local reputation. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. Headteacher Jude Ryan leads a school of 403 pupils, which is slightly over its official capacity of 390. Just under 30% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that gives some context to the school's intake.
Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2023 rated it Requires Improvement overall, a significant drop from its previous Outstanding rating in 2013. The breakdown shows some bright spots: personal development and behaviour and attitudes were both rated Good, while quality of education and leadership and management were Requires Improvement. Early years provision was rated Inadequate. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, just 28% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the Knowsley local authority average of 60%. The school ranked 47th out of 47 primary schools in Knowsley on this measure, placing it in the bottom 50 nationally. Individual subject scores show 67% reached the expected standard in writing, 50% in reading, and 33% in maths, with average scores of 100 in reading and 96 in maths.
The school offers a range of facilities including a dining hall, playing fields, sports hall, music rooms, library and chapel, plus sports like netball, swimming, cricket, tennis and football. Clubs include drama, book club, film club and eco club. For SEND, the school supports pupils with moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. Given the academic results and Ofsted rating, this school may suit families who prioritise the Catholic faith setting and the strong personal development and behaviour noted by inspectors, but who are prepared to engage closely with the school during its improvement journey. The oversubscription suggests it remains a sought-after local option despite the inspection outcome.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 3 to 11 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Sidney Powell Avenue, Kirkby, Liverpool, Knowsley, L32 0TP |
| Headteacher | Jude Ryan |
| Local Authority | Knowsley |
| Number of Pupils | 403 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 29.7% |
| School Capacity | 403 / 390 (103% full) |
| Nursery Classes | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
4 Oct 2023Overall Effectiveness
Requires improvement
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 16 Nov 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths (28%)
13342nd of 13,686
Nationally
2002nd of 2,065
In North West
47th of 47
In Knowsley
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths data
KS2 SATs Results
2023/24Reading, Writing & Maths Combined
28%
Expected Standard
0%
Higher Standard
'22/23
50%
'23/24
28%
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. National expected standard benchmark is around 65%.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
6Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
9Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed53
76
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
42 families put this school as their 1st choice (55% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:45 – 15:15
Breakfast club
08:00-08:45
Source: smaaaprimary.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British89.1%
- White (other)3.2%
- Mixed2.9%
- Asian2.9%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Better than half of schools in England.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
11
Total schools
11
Oversubscribed
9
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
Sidney Powell Avenue, Kirkby, Liverpool
Knowsley, L32 0TP
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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