Peterhouse School, Southport

Requires Improvement
Special
Non-maintained special school
Mixed
Ages 519

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Calvin Wallace
Pupils:70 / 80 capacity
LA:Sefton
Phone:01704506682
Address:Preston New Road, Churchtown, Southport, PR9 8PA
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2002

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:133748
UKPRN:10017150
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Southport
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Peterhouse School excels at understanding and supporting pupils who have struggled in education elsewhere. Staff demonstrate genuine care and dedication, using autism-informed approaches and flexible teaching to help pupils rebuild confidence and re-engage with learning. The school works closely with families, making them feel listened to and supported, with many parents reporting significant improvements in their child's curiosity, communication and independence.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent support for pupils with autism and special educational needs, with staff making thoughtful adjustments to environments and routines
  • Strong attendance and behaviour management through personalised support and close family partnerships
  • Comprehensive personal development programme including therapeutic support (art, music, drama) and community visits to museums and mosques
  • Flexible education offer that successfully helps pupils rebuild confidence and transition to full-time attendance
  • Clear focus on preparing pupils for adulthood through practical life skills and careers guidance

Areas for Improvement

  • Approaches to checking learning need to be used more consistently so pupils' academic progress can be clearly tracked across all curriculum areas
  • Further refinement needed in some aspects of teaching to sustain recent curriculum improvements
  • Need to ensure recent improvements in curriculum design and teaching are sustained over time

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are met and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Museums visits, mosque visits, art, music, drama therapy, community visits, work-related experiences, shopping trips, careers events, employer encounters

Peterhouse School is a specialist school serving pupils with complex needs, including those with autism and those who have experienced difficulties with mainstream education. The school has achieved strong standards across most areas, with particular strengths in inclusion, behaviour, and personal development.

At a Glance

41.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Lexton Drive (opp)
99m · 2 min walk
Rathmore Crescent (adj)
122m · 2 min walk
Larkfield Lane (SW-bound)
139m · 2 min walk
Larkfield Primary School (opp)
239m · 4 min walk
North Road (nr)
318m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

88%

Available places

70 pupils

80 capacity

10 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Southport

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,081
Projected new pupils:195

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Southport

Admissions Demand - Sefton

Low demand0.89x oversubscription

Places available

3,299

Applications

2,940

Got 1st preference

85.0%

Got preferred school

95.8%

Secondary admissions across Sefton (2025/26)

Inspection History(106)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

25.11843%

Overall absence

46.15385%

Persistent absence

52

Enrolments

Authorised19.70596%
Unauthorised5.41247%
Persistent (10%+)46.15385%
Severe (50%+)23.07692%

Absence trend

9.87221%
18/19
15.00222%
20/21
11.83177%
21/22
22.17759%
22/23
23.11503%
23/24
25.11843%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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