School Chooser

St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic196 pupils Free breakfast clubWallaseyWirral
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance94.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families41%Far more than most schools
Places196 spare196 pupils, 392 places
Pupils per teacher24.0School workforce census

St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Wallasey for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 196 pupils and room for 392. About 41 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Ashburton Road, Wallasey, CH44 5XB0151 638 6373stalbans.wirral.sch.ukMr John McDonald headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 15 October 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

48 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St Alban's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level4%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score101.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 61%61%20172018: 50%50%20182019: 56%56%20192023: 42%42%20232024: 56%56%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: -3%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†WirralEngland
Pupils tested485260545454
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%56%42%56%50%61%57%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths4%4%5%6%4%6%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0104.0101.0104.0102.0105.0104.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0101.099.0103.0101.0104.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0103.0100.0106.0104.0107.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard79%67%62%63%63%70%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard69%62%53%76%61%74%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%81%63%74%76%74%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.4+1.2-0.6+0.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.8+0.2-1.5+0.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged61%46%5%50%47%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged57%64%60%58%51%67%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for St Alban's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
61%57%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
65%50%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
6%4%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places231 pupils for 392 places, 2024/25
59% full

161 places were empty (41% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Wirral council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll196Census January 2026
Places39250% full
Pupils from low-income families41%41% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English9%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support22%43 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan8%15 pupils with a plan
Average class size19.85 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)38%£116,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls107 / 89
White British pupils85%

Specialist SEND provision. Listed by the government as catering for social, emotional and mental health.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Wirral with social, emotional and mental health provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 23.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 17.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (20), language and communications needs (11), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (10), Specific learning difficulty (8), Other difficulty or disability (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (3).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission4.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.9%7.0%7.5%6.4%3.3%4.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence1.1%0.9%2.9%4.5%2.4%2.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.9%6.1%4.6%2.0%1.0%1.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.2%16.7%21.1%21.1%7.0%8.3%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for St Alban's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers8.2full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher24.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£41,174
Vacancies0

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £34k, £144 per pupil
Money in against money out-£36kit spent more than it took in this year

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m66712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate78 per 1,000 people14% lower than the England average
Typical house price£218,000Wirral
Nearest bus stop70 mDominick House, 33 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Park Primary SchoolCouncil390 m401Good 202331Compare
Liscard Primary SchoolCouncil850 m704Good 202354Compare
Somerville Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles379Good 202326Compare
Egremont Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles275Report card 202639Compare
St George's Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles922Good 202351Compare
Mount Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles300Good 202219Compare
Kingsway Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles151Report card 20261Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, WallaseyRoman Catholic0.9 miles168No overall grade 202421Compare

Questions parents ask

Is St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a good school?

St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in October 2024.

What is St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 15 October 2024.

How good are St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

196 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 392 places, so it is 50% full.

Is St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 161 places were empty in 2024/25 (41% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

The average class had 19.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is registered for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Ashburton Road, Wallasey, CH44 5XB
Telephone
0151 638 6373
Website
www.stalbans.wirral.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr John McDonald
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Shrewsbury
Multi-academy trust
Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust (9 schools)
Local authority
Wirral
Ward
Liscard
Constituency
Wallasey
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2025 (academy converter)
URN
150184 · LAESTAB 3443331 · UKPRN 10093482
Formerly
St Alban's Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from