School Chooser

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 5-11MixedRoman Catholic319 pupilsSouthportSefton
School Chooser Score
31
Below
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 52, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 35% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, April 2024
Reached the expected level at 1161%England 63%
Attendance96.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families15%Far fewer than most schools
Places59 spare319 pupils, 378 places
Pupils per teacher17.7School workforce census

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Southport for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 319 pupils and room for 378. About 15 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 31 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 35% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Radnor Drive, Churchtown, Southport, PR9 9RR01704 225906stpatrickschurchtown.comMrs R Halsall headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 16 April 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

49 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 level6%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 76%76%20172018: 87%87%20182019: 83%83%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 78%78%20242025: 61%61%2025
Since 2017: -15%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SeftonEngland
Pupils tested495448484546
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths61%78%63%83%87%76%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%6%4%13%11%15%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0105.0104.0106.0108.0107.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0104.0105.0107.0106.0107.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0107.0106.0109.0110.0111.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard73%85%75%83%91%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard73%81%77%90%91%93%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)86%93%79%88%89%89%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.6+2.0+2.7+1.4
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.8+1.6+1.8+2.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged63%56%63%93%80%63%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged61%82%63%79%89%79%

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. 1 of the 3 gaps is 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
63%61%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
73%48%
Gap 25 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
13%6%
Gap 7 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.

A few spare places333 pupils for 378 places, 2024/25
88% full

About 45 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2025 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2025. Every child who applied got a place (38 offers for 50 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary507538all offeredLA
2024 Primary508845all offeredLA
2023 Primary5010850LA

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 roll319Census January 2026
Places37884% full
Pupils from low-income families15%15% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%39 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.913 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)15%£72,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls158 / 161
White British pupils83%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 21.4 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 23.9 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (16), Autistic spectrum disorder (13), language and communications needs (7), emotional and mental health (2), Hearing impairment (1), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll319332343344348355
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals15%14%13%13%12%10%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%9%11%11%12%12%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support8%9%6%6%4%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.9%4.1%4.2%3.1%1.9%2.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%3.2%3.2%2.1%1.4%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.8%0.9%0.9%0.5%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.8%10.2%8.4%3.6%2.5%2.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.31.20.30.00.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers18.1full-time equivalent, 20 people
Pupils per teacher17.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,465
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.82024/25

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£6,058England £7,738. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£5,984England £7,697. Total £2.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,305England £3,480
Money in reserve18%A healthy amount put by: £352k, £1,059 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£24kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,058spent 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 m15412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate39 per 1,000 people57% lower than the England average
Typical house price£227,000Sefton
Nearest bus stop40 mMarshside Road, 19 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
Churchtown Primary SchoolAcademy410 m660Good 202336Compare
Larkfield Primary SchoolCouncil480 m256Good 202354Compare
Marshside Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles204Good 202337Compare
Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.0 miles194Good 202311Compare
Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolCatholic1.1 miles188Good 202424Compare
Norwood Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles621Good 202225Compare
St John's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles158Report card 202615Compare
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, SouthportAcademy1.5 miles207Report card 202642Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Patrick's Catholic Primary School with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats35%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 31 is 14 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 6 · middle 45 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 31 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 31% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 17 to 52. 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%in line
-0.03
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 49 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.18
DfE progress measure; 49 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 291 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 49 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 Patrick's Catholic Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. St Patrick's Catholic Primary School scores 31 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 35% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 52, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St Patrick's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Patrick's Catholic Primary School good at its last full inspection on 16 April 2024.

How good are St Patrick'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%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.

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

319 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 378 places, so it is 84% full.

Is St Patrick's Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 45 places were empty in 2024/25 (12% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

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

Pupils were in school 96.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 22.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Radnor Drive, Churchtown, Southport, PR9 9RR
Telephone
01704 225906
Website
www.stpatrickschurchtown.com
Headteacher
Mrs R Halsall
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Liverpool
Local authority
Sefton
Ward
Cambridge
Constituency
Southport
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
104918 · LAESTAB 3433339 · UKPRN 10074979

Where these figures come from