St Philip's Church of England Primary School

About St Philip's Church of England Primary School

St Philip's Church of England Primary School in Sefton holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections. The school's most informative exam metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which sits at 74%. That figure is well ahead of the Sefton local authority average of 59%, placing the school 13th out of 59 primary schools in the area and within the top 25% nationally. In reading, 85% of pupils met the expected standard and 41% reached the higher standard; in maths, 89% met the expected standard and 37% achieved the higher level. The average scaled scores for both reading and maths are 107, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. The school's most recent graded inspection took place in 2013, and an ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed that it remains Good, with leadership and management also rated Good.

Beyond the headline figures, the school's performance is notably strong in maths, where the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard is 89%, and in writing, where 85% met the expected standard. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined is 15%, which is broadly in line with national averages for a school of this type. The school has a relatively small cohort of 209 pupils, with a capacity of 210, and 22.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. In the local authority rankings, St Philip's sits behind three top-performing peers: St Thomas Church of England Primary School, Lydiate, St Robert Bellarmine Catholic Primary School and Shoreside Primary School. Of the 74 primary schools in Sefton, only six hold an Outstanding rating, meaning St Philip's Good grade places it in the upper tier of provision locally.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 57 applications for 28 places and all first-preference applicants receiving an offer. It offers a broad range of facilities including a library, playing fields, a gymnasium, art studios, a sports hall, an outdoor playground, a forest school and a chapel. Sports on offer include swimming, athletics, rounders, football and dance, while clubs cover drama, science, choir, gardening, chess and coding. The school has a dedicated SEND provision, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health needs, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a Church of England primary school with a strong academic record relative to its local authority, and it will particularly suit families looking for a community-focused primary with good outcomes and a clear faith character.

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