Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School, Liverpool Review 2026: High-achieving Catholic primary with strong early reading

Strong Key Stage 2 outcomes sit at the heart of this one-form-entry Catholic primary and nursery. Results in 2024 show a high proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard across reading, writing and mathematics, with a notably large share reaching the higher standard. The school’s Catholic identity is explicit in daily life, with pupils learning through faith as well as about other world religions.

Leadership is stable, and routines appear calm and purposeful. With limited places and evidence of demand above capacity, admission is usually the key question for families, rather than the quality of education on offer.

Daily life is described as settled and respectful, with pupils generally sensible, polite, and ready to learn. Breaktimes are reported as harmonious, and the overall tone is calm and purposeful, which is often the clearest sign of consistent routines and adult presence across the day. Pupils are also described as proud of their school and keen to do well, suggesting expectations are clear and widely understood.

Mr Martin Burke leads the school, and long-term continuity is a recurring theme in the available evidence. Earlier official inspection documentation notes the headteacher had been in post for two years at the time of the November 2012 inspection, indicating leadership stability dating back to around 2010. That kind of tenure tends to matter most in primary settings, where consistency of behaviour systems and curriculum sequencing can make a visible difference for pupils.

The Catholic character is not an optional extra. The school explicitly positions itself within the Archdiocese of Liverpool and serves local parishes, with worship and mission integrated across school life. A Catholic Schools Inspectorate visit in November 2024 recorded Catholic life and mission as grade 1, and religious education and collective worship as grade 2, with site features such as a Mary Garden and Stations of the Cross referenced as part of the lived faith environment.

Nursery provision

Nursery begins from the term after a child’s third birthday, with learning described as play-based and driven by experiences and children’s interests. This matters for families weighing up whether the setting will suit a child who benefits from a practical, talk-rich start, rather than a heavily worksheet-led approach. The published admissions information also sets out a 15-hours pattern with two timetable options, and notes that a limited number of 30-hours funded places are available subject to eligibility. Nursery fee details are not published in a way that should be quoted as a specific amount; families should check the school’s official information for the current position.

The headline figure is the combined reading, writing and mathematics expected standard. In 2024, 91% of pupils met the expected standard, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 37.67% reached greater depth, compared with an England average of 8%. Those gaps are large enough to be meaningful, especially because the higher standard measure is usually where strong curriculum sequencing and effective intervention show up most clearly.

Scaled scores reinforce the same picture. Reading averaged 108, mathematics 109, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 110, with a combined total score of 327. Science outcomes were also above the England benchmark, with 87% reaching the expected standard compared with an England average of 82%.

Rankings provide a useful sense of relative position. Ranked 965th in England and 6th in Liverpool for primary outcomes, these results place the school well above the England average (top 10%), based on proprietary FindMySchool rankings drawn from official data. Parents comparing nearby options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view these outcomes side by side in the Comparison Tool.

The current inspection evidence emphasises an ambitious curriculum and teachers with secure subject knowledge, alongside routine checks on what pupils have remembered, and teaching that is adapted in response. That pattern often correlates with steady progress across mixed-attainment cohorts, particularly in a one-form-entry school where staffing changes can otherwise have an outsized impact.

Early reading is treated as a priority from nursery onwards, beginning with rhymes, songs and stories and moving into a structured phonics programme in Reception. Support for pupils who fall behind is described as purposeful, with catch-up provision in place. The key refinement identified is book matching, ensuring that decodable books align closely with the sounds pupils already know, so that early readers experience success rather than guessing.

Religious education is taught through the Come and See programme, with a structured approach across topics and an explicit commitment to teaching about other faiths and religions as part of the wider curriculum. For families who want a Catholic education that also develops knowledge of the broader religious and cultural context, this is an important indicator of balance.

Pupils typically leave at the end of Year 6 for local secondary schools. The school’s own admissions information signposts Year 6 transition links and references local Catholic secondary options via admissions updates, including St Julie’s and St Francis Xavier’s, which gives a practical sense of the likely pathways for many families in the area.

For pupils, the most relevant point is preparedness. The January 2024 inspection report states that pupils typically leave Year 6 ready for the next stage, with curriculum and teaching structured to build knowledge over time. That matters most in English and mathematics, where secondary transition tends to expose gaps quickly if primary foundations are insecure.

Admission is coordinated with Liverpool local authority, but as a voluntary aided Catholic school the governing body acts as the admissions authority. The published admissions number for the September 2026 intake is 30 places. Oversubscription criteria prioritise looked-after and previously looked-after children, then baptised Catholic children with a sibling at the school, followed by baptised Catholic children resident in the named parishes, and then other baptised Catholic children. Sibling criteria, other Christian denominations, other faiths, and finally other children follow, with distance used as the tie-break within a criterion where necessary. Random allocation is also described for genuine distance ties.

The school’s own admissions page summarises the approach more plainly: baptised Catholic children are accepted into Reception in the September following their fourth birthday, with children of other faiths considered where parents express a preference for a Catholic school. Nursery interest is handled directly with the school rather than via the local authority process.

Deadlines matter, and they are fixed annually by the local authority. For Reception entry in September 2026, applications opened on 01 September 2025 and the closing date was 15 January 2026. National offer day for Reception places was 16 April 2026. Families considering later years should also note that late applications can reduce the chance of an offer at oversubscribed schools.

Demand indicators point to competition. For the primary entry route, 44 applications were recorded for 30 offers, which equates to 1.47 applications for each place, and the school is marked as oversubscribed.

Parents thinking about distance should treat it as one component rather than a universal rule. In voluntary aided Catholic schools, faith and parish criteria can matter more than proximity, and distance often functions as the final tie-break only within a specific category. Families can still use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their door-to-gate distance, but it is worth reading the oversubscription criteria carefully to understand where distance applies in practice.

Pastoral support is a clear strength in both the general school inspection evidence and the Catholic inspection context. Pupils are described as feeling well cared for by adults who know them well, and the tone reported across the day suggests steady expectations rather than reactive behaviour management.

Safeguarding is a crucial baseline. The January 2024 Ofsted inspection states that safeguarding arrangements are effective. That sits alongside evidence of attendance being treated as a priority, with monitoring of patterns of absence and a plan that has reduced persistent absence. In a primary context, that combination often signals clear processes and sustained follow-up with families where needed.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as timely and well integrated. Identification is reported as early, and pupils with SEND are described as being supported effectively so they can learn alongside classmates and make progress through the curriculum.

Clubs are specific and structured, which is usually more useful to parents than broad claims about “lots of enrichment”. The school publishes named clubs by day and year group, including TT Rock Stars, Book Club, Board Games club, Art and Craft Club, Dance club, Choir, football provision, and targeted SATs preparation for Year 6. Numbers are limited, so access is likely to depend on year group, staffing capacity, and demand.

Choir appears to be a distinctive thread. External reporting references pupils gaining experiences through extra-curricular clubs including gymnastics, times tables and book club, while also describing the choir performing locally to raise money for a children’s hospice. In a primary setting, that mix of performance, service and wider participation can be a good proxy for confidence-building opportunities for pupils who enjoy singing, as well as for families who value charitable action as part of school culture.

Faith-linked enrichment is also visible. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report references pupil involvement in charitable activities such as a Macmillan coffee morning, and mentions devotional spaces used for prayer and reflection. For families for whom Catholic social teaching and service are priorities, these details provide a clearer picture than generic statements about values.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still expect typical costs such as uniform, trips, and optional clubs where applicable.

The school day starts at 08:45 for Reception to Year 2 and 08:50 for Years 3 to 6. Finish time is 15:15 for Reception to Year 2 and 15:20 for Years 3 to 6. Breakfast club runs from 08:00 to 08:45, and after-school activities are published as running until 16:15.

The website does not publish detailed transport guidance. Families generally plan around walking routes from the local area and direct access via Hedgefield Road, and should factor in time for drop-off and pick-up.

• Catholic admissions criteria. Faith, parish connections, and supporting evidence can play a decisive role in allocation, with distance often operating as a tie-break only within a criterion. Families should read the oversubscription criteria early and plan documentation well in advance.

• Competition for places. Published demand data indicates more applications than places for the main entry route. Late applications are less likely to secure a preferred school, so deadlines matter.

• Early reading fine-tuning. Phonics is prioritised and catch-up support is in place, but book matching for a minority of early readers is identified as an area to tighten. Families with very early readers may want to ask how decodable texts are chosen and monitored.

• Nursery pattern and funding. The nursery offer includes a defined 15-hours pattern and limited 30-hours funded places subject to eligibility. This can suit families who want a structured part-week arrangement, but may not match every working pattern.

High attainment at Key Stage 2, a calm culture, and clear Catholic identity make this a compelling option for families seeking a faith-led primary education with strong academic outcomes. The nursery-to-primary pathway, breakfast club, and published club programme add practical value for working families. It suits households who want a Catholic setting, are comfortable engaging with faith-based admissions criteria, and can plan early for a competitive intake.