St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

About St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School in Sefton is a state-funded, mixed Roman Catholic primary for children aged 5 to 11. With 332 pupils on roll against a capacity of 378, the school is not at full capacity, yet demand is strong: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 75 applications for 38 total places, making it officially oversubscribed. All 38 first-preference applicants were offered a place, giving a first-preference success rate of 100% and an overall oversubscription ratio of 1.97 applicants per place. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 13.9%, which is below the national average for primary schools, suggesting a relatively less disadvantaged intake compared with many schools nationally. This combination of high demand and below-average FSM take-up indicates a school that is popular with local families, particularly those seeking a faith-based education within the Sefton area.

Academically, St Patrick's performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Sefton average of 59%. This places the school 8th out of 59 primary schools in the local authority, putting it in the top 25% nationally. Subject-level results are strong: 85% reached the expected standard in reading, 93% in writing, and 81% in maths. At the higher standard, 6% of pupils achieved the top level across all three subjects. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024 rated overall effectiveness as Good, a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2013. However, personal development was judged Outstanding, while quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision were all rated Good.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, playing fields, sports hall, music rooms, a forest school, gymnasium and chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, cricket, cross country, football, dance, gymnastics and tennis, and there are clubs such as eco club, coding, gardening, chess, science club and art club. For pupils with additional needs, the school provides support for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. There is no nursery provision or sixth form. St Patrick’s is a good fit for Catholic families in Sefton who want a well-regarded, oversubscribed primary with strong academic outcomes, a wide extracurricular offer, and a clear commitment to personal development.

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