St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Prenton

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades St Paul's Catholic Primary School on 7 areas: 2 expected standard and 5 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders make inclusion central to their decision-making."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed a programme that helps pupils understand how to be healthy, safe and responsible."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Too few pupils secure the important basic knowledge they need in the early stages of reading."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Attendance remains below the national average."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Teaching of the curriculum varies."

Early years - Needs attention. "The school teaches children in the Nursery and Reception Years together."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders bring knowledge of the school and its community."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is designed to meet the different needs of pupils in mixed-age classes so that knowledge builds progressively between year groups"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers accurately identify and address errors in pupils' work so that gaps in knowledge do not persist, ensure that phonics teaching is accurate and effective across the school so that the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard moves closer to national averages, and ensure that the teaching of writing is strengthened across the school so that pupils make better progress and more go on to achieve greater depth"; "Leaders should make sure that their attendance strategies have a clear and measurable impact so that overall attendance improves and persistent absence reduces"; "Leaders should prioritise providing staff in the early years with professional development to improve the frequency and quality of interactions that adults have with children"; "Governors should strengthen their ability to hold leaders more stringently to account for the progress pupils make in school, ensuring that their challenge supports improvement where it is most needed".

In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils at St Paul's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 69% in Wirral and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 79% in reading and 64% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 10 families put St Paul's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 12 named it as one of their preferences, for 10 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Paul's Catholic Primary School are Manor Primary School (0.2 miles, 61% reading, 56% maths); Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 39% reading, 37% maths); Chapelhill Primary School (0.7 miles, 60% reading, 70% maths); and Holy Cross Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 73% reading, 87% maths).

St Paul's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

57.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 5.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (90%) and Black (5%).

In 2026, 31 pupils (31.3%) received SEN support and 6 (6.1%) 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.

St Paul's Catholic Primary School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Upton Rail Station, about 1060 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Beechwood Drive (opposite), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Paul's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, St Paul's Catholic Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St Paul's Catholic Primary School are Upton Hall School FCJ (1 mile), Ridgeway High School (1.2 miles) and Woodchurch High School (1.5 miles).