St Austin's Catholic Primary School, Liverpool
St Austin's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Liverpool. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 42nd-highest of the 177 schools in Liverpool with published results, and 4,602nd of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Liverpool (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Austin's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Austin's Catholic Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "As a faith-filled community at St Austin’s School, we seek to live out Christian values through humility, spirituality, kindness, and respect for others. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment where every individual is valued, supported, celebrated, and encouraged to live as disciples of God."
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am honoured and privileged to be the Headteacher of a happy, exciting and unique school where dedicated staff work with commitment and passion for all children, and more importantly in partnership with parents/carers. We welcome this partnership in guiding, educating and supporting our children in becoming part of the St Austin's family."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £4 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at St Austin's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 70% in Liverpool and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 77% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Austin's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put St Austin's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 73 named it as one of their preferences, for 35 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Austin's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Austin's Catholic Primary School are Gilmour Primary School (0.2 miles, 84% reading, 79% maths); Booker Avenue Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 87% reading, 76% maths); Booker Avenue Infant School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); and Sudley Primary School (0.8 miles, 90% reading, 93% maths).
St Austin's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Gilmour Primary SchoolBooker Avenue Junior SchoolBooker Avenue Infant SchoolSudley Primary School
Who goes there
15.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 60 pupils (14.6%) received SEN support and 10 (2.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Cressington Rail Station, about 440 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Darby Road (nw-bound), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 159 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and drug offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Liverpool (342).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Austin's Catholic Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Austin's Catholic Primary School are St Margaret's Church of England Academy (0.9 miles) and The Academy of St Nicholas (1.1 miles).
St Margaret's Church of England AcademyThe Academy of St Nicholas
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from March 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's October 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Austin's is a nurturing, welcoming school where children are happy, safe and eager to learn. The school excels at teaching reading through well-trained staff and phonics instruction, and provides excellent tailored support for pupils with additional needs who learn alongside their peers. Parents appreciate how the school maintains high expectations for all children while ensuring they feel supported and valued.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with well-trained staff delivering phonics consistently across year groups, resulting in confident and fluent readers
- Effective support for pupils with SEND who follow the same curriculum and are fully involved in school life
- Regular subject-specific staff training that helps teachers present information clearly and address pupil misconceptions quickly
- Pupils display positive attitudes to learning with rare disruption, and older pupils take responsibilities seriously as house captains and school council representatives
- Well-designed curriculum that builds logically from Nursery through Year 6
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, pupils do not build on prior learning as well as they could and some recall of previous learning remains superficial
- Recent curriculum changes in these subjects need to be better embedded so pupils develop detailed knowledge across the curriculum
- Some pupils struggle to make connections between previous knowledge and new learning in certain subjects
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Cross country, computing, football, samba band, school council, house captains, Spanish lessons, Mandarin lessons, school polytunnel gardening
St Austin's Catholic Primary School is a good school where pupils arrive ready to learn in a friendly, welcoming environment. The school sets high expectations for all pupils and provides a rich, broad curriculum with strong support for those with special educational needs.
At a Glance
15.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 77% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.0
Avg class size
26.5
Infant (KS1)
28.1
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Austin's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Austin's Catholic Primary School.
- Booker Out of Hours Kids' Club960m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Austin's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Liverpool's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Austin's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Austin's Catholic Primary School is in Liverpool; for families living there:
- Liverpool's school travel policy: this document : Home to School Transport Policy 2026-27
- How to apply: Apply for a travel pass
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Austin's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Austin's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Austin's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Austin's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Austin's Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Liverpool, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Austin's Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Liverpool got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
395 pupils
420 places
25 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Liverpool
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Liverpool
Across Liverpool council
Places available
5,870
Applications
4,736
Got 1st preference
88.6%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All primary applications across Liverpool council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
60
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
17.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
411
Total Pupils
203
Boys
208
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
22.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,359
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,002
Per pupil
£2130k
Total funding
£73k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
7.4%
Persistent absence
337
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Austin's Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Austin's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Austin's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is St Austin's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Austin's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Austin's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Liverpool allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
St Austin's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Austin's Catholic Primary School average 27 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
St Austin's Catholic Primary School has around 411 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at St Austin's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 7.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Liverpool's coordinated admissions process, naming St Austin's Catholic Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does St Austin's Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Austin's Catholic Primary School: Booker Out of Hours Kids' Club (960m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Austin's Catholic Primary School?
St Austin's Catholic Primary School is at Riverbank Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L19 9DH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)