School Chooser

St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedRoman Catholic247 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubBirkenheadWirral
School Chooser Score
32
Below
similar schools
Likely range 13 to 62, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 56% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Reached the expected level at 1161%England 63%
Attendance93.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families53%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull247 pupils, 247 places
Pupils per teacher19.7School workforce census
Pupils on roll247Census January 2026

St Anne's Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Birkenhead for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 247 pupils and every place is taken. About 53 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 32 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 56% of the 50 schools most like it.

Highfield South, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, CH42 4NE0151 645 3682stannes.wirral.sch.ukMrs Lorraine Prescott headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

31 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1161%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 75%75%20172018: 48%48%20182019: 63%63%20192023: 45%45%20232024: 55%55%20242025: 61%61%2025
Since 2017: -14%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WirralEngland
Pupils tested312929273124
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths61%55%45%63%48%75%57%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%7%7%3%8%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0100.0103.0104.0102.0105.0104.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0104.0105.0106.0103.0105.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0100.0102.0109.0102.0107.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard84%59%66%74%61%88%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard77%66%72%81%77%88%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)65%59%45%74%81%83%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.6+2.3+2.5+2.7
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.5+2.7+3.3+2.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged59%42%37%43%47%55%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged67%80%60%85%50%92%

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.

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
59%67%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
57%65%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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.

A few spare places207 pupils for 243 places, 2024/25
85% full

About 36 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 6% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll247Census January 2026
Places247100% full
Pupils from low-income families45%53% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English16%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support24%60 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.17 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)53%£165,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls124 / 123
White British pupils72%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (28), language and communications needs (21), Other difficulty or disability (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Specific learning difficulty (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll247245257246230226
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals45%50%49%52%54%53%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language16%16%14%10%7%7%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support32%27%37%36%33%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%1%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school23.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.9%7.7%8.4%9.2%4.7%6.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.7%5.3%5.6%6.1%2.9%3.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%2.4%2.7%3.1%1.8%3.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence23.0%22.4%31.5%32.2%15.9%22.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.62.33.73.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers11.6full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher19.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants11.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,138
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.32024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£8,121England £7,738. Total £1.9m
Income per pupil£7,942England £7,697. Total £1.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,263England £3,480
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £43k, £189 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£41kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,121spent per pupil

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 m52112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate65 per 1,000 people29% lower than the England average
Typical house price£218,000Wirral
Nearest bus stop100 mHighfield South, 16 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
St John's Catholic Junior SchoolRoman Catholic680 m239Good 202313Compare
St John's Catholic Infant SchoolRoman Catholic740 m189Good 202352Compare
Rock Ferry Primary SchoolAcademy840 m301Good 20202Compare
Grove Street Primary SchoolCouncil900 m312Good 20228Compare
Bedford Drive Primary SchoolCouncil940 m406Good 202213Compare
Well Lane Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles187Inadequate 2023Compare
St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles205No overall grade 2025Compare
Town Lane Infant SchoolAcademy0.8 miles322Outstanding 202397Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Anne's Catholic Primary School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats56%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 32 is 6 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 25 · highest 97100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Anne's Catholic Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Roscoe Primary SchoolAcademy5.6 miles203Report card 202643Compare
Ranworth Square Primary SchoolCouncil6.8 miles231Good 202364Compare
Litherland Moss Primary SchoolAcademy7.8 miles208Good 202372Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 32 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 32% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 13 to 62. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.16
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 31 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%in line
0.00
DfE progress measure; 31 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.16
2024/25; 183 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.04
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 31 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is St Anne's Catholic Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. St Anne's Catholic Primary School scores 32 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 56% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 13 to 62, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

How good are St Anne's Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 61% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Anne's Catholic Primary School have?

247 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 247 places, so it is 100% full.

Is St Anne's Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 36 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Anne's Catholic Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Anne's Catholic Primary School?

The average class had 29.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does St Anne's Catholic Primary School 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
Highfield South, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, CH42 4NE
Telephone
0151 645 3682
Website
www.stannes.wirral.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Lorraine Prescott
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
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Shrewsbury
Local authority
Wirral
Ward
Rock Ferry
Constituency
Birkenhead
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105088 · LAESTAB 3443369 · UKPRN 10070789

Where these figures come from