Thurstaston Dawpool CofE Primary School

About Thurstaston Dawpool CofE Primary School

Thurstaston Dawpool CofE Primary School was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025, a change from the Outstanding grade it held in its previous inspection in 2008. The school’s strongest academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, where 76% of pupils met the benchmark in 2023/24. That figure is well above the Wirral local authority average of 53%, and it places the school 7th out of 64 primary schools in the borough — comfortably inside the top 25% nationally. In individual subjects, 93% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, 86% in writing and 83% in maths. Higher-standard attainment was strongest in reading, with 41% of pupils achieving above the expected level, compared with 31% in maths and 17% in writing. Average scaled scores in reading and maths both sat at 107. The school’s overall ranking score of 76 puts it just behind local peers such as Thornton Hough Primary and Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary.

Ofsted’s inspection breakdown shows Good ratings across all five graded categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school has a Church of England religious character and a headteacher, Helen Griffiths, who leads a staff team serving 227 pupils — just three short of its full capacity of 230. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is low at 5.1%. Parent feedback is broadly positive: 88% of respondents would recommend the school, and 93% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. However, the parent view also highlights some areas of concern — only 52% agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 32% of parents with SEND children disagreed that the school gives them the support they need.

The school offers a nursery provision for children from age three and has a range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, chapel and art studios. Sports provision covers dance, netball, football, cricket, gymnastics, athletics and tennis, while clubs include book club, coding, drama, gardening, chess and film club. SEND support is listed for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. The school was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, with 50 applications for 26 places and all 25 first-preference applicants offered a place. For families in Wirral who prioritise strong academic outcomes and a church school setting, Thurstaston Dawpool is a solid option — though those with SEND children may want to investigate the support on offer more closely.

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