St Paschal Baylon Catholic Primary School Review 2026: High-attainment Catholic primary with strong wraparound care

In Childwall, this is the sort of primary that families plan around, partly because entry is competitive, and partly because the outcomes are difficult to ignore. In 2024, 82.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the England average of 62%. The higher standard figure is equally striking at 32.67%, compared with 8% across England. Those results translate into a strong standing locally and nationally: ranked 2,464th in England and 19th in Liverpool for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

The Catholic character is not a label stuck on the sign, it shapes routines, leadership opportunities and charity work. Wraparound care is unusually clear and structured for a state primary, with published breakfast and after-school provision, named leads, and set session pricing.

This is a school that puts responsibility in pupils’ hands early. External review describes a community where pupils are keen to come in each day, behaviour is consistently strong in lessons, and bullying is described as rare and dealt with quickly. Pupils are also given a formal voice through roles such as school council membership and rights respecting ambassadors. The net effect is a culture that rewards contribution rather than just compliance, which tends to suit children who like to be involved and noticed for the right reasons.

The Catholic life is detailed and structured, with a long list of pupil leadership roles attached to it, including Baylon Buddies, Sustainable Soldiers, Rights Respecting Ambassadors, and the ReAction Group. Charity work is prominent and varied (for example, CAFOD, Operation Christmas Child, and local food bank support are all referenced in official inspection reporting). That combination, service plus leadership, often appeals to families who want faith to be lived through action, not just taught as a subject.

There are also a few tangible pastoral features that help explain why pupils generally report feeling safe and supported. A “quiet room” is referenced as a space where pupils can take time out if they need it, and a “Peace Garden” is described as a reflective space used through the year when weather allows. Those are small details, but they matter because they indicate planning for regulation and reflection, not only for performance.

Leadership is stable and clearly presented to parents. The school website identifies Mr E. Flood as headteacher, and the latest inspection documentation lists Edward Flood as headteacher.

The headline picture at the end of Key Stage 2 is exceptionally strong.

In 2024:

• 82.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with 62% across England.

• 32.67% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with 8% across England.

In scaled scores, the school recorded 108 in reading, 107 in maths, and 108 in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Rankings reinforce the story. St Paschal Baylon Catholic Primary School is ranked 2,464th in England and 19th in Liverpool for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). That places it comfortably within the top 25% of primary schools in England.

What does that mean for parents in practical terms?

• For children who enjoy structure and want to do well, the school’s outcomes suggest teaching is effective at moving most pupils to secure end-of-primary literacy and numeracy.

• For children who are already high attainers, the higher-standard figure implies there is enough stretch to turn “doing fine” into genuinely strong attainment.

Parents comparing local primaries often find it easier to use a like-for-like view. The FindMySchool local hub comparison tool is useful here because it keeps rankings and outcomes in one place rather than mixing sources.

The curriculum is described in external reporting as ambitious, with careful identification of key knowledge in most subjects. Teachers are also described as using assessment effectively to spot pupils who are falling behind, with tailored catch-up support where needed. That is the operational detail that often sits behind strong KS2 performance: clarity about what matters, checks that happen early, then intervention that is specific rather than generic.

Reading is treated as a priority across the school, with regular staff training and close tracking of pupils’ progress through phonics and beyond. The description is particularly specific about early reading, where staff check how well pupils build knowledge over time and provide timely support for pupils who struggle to keep pace. For families with children who need explicit phonics teaching, this is one of the more reassuring strands of evidence.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is presented as integrated rather than separate. Identification is described as early and done in collaboration with parents and carers, with support matched to need so pupils can learn alongside classmates confidently and independently.

As a primary school, the main transition point is Year 6 to Year 7. St Paschal Baylon sits within Liverpool, so most pupils typically move on to local secondary schools through the local authority process, with Catholic families often considering Catholic secondaries where that fits their preferences and admissions criteria.

What matters more here is readiness. The KS2 outcomes suggest pupils leave with strong literacy and numeracy foundations, which tends to widen options at secondary, especially in schools that set from Year 7 and move quickly through the curriculum.

The school also appears to build “next step” confidence through leadership roles and wider development. When pupils have been school councillors, ambassadors, buddies, or part of action groups, they often transition into secondary with a clearer sense of how to contribute, not just how to follow rules.

Reception entry is coordinated through the local authority. For September 2026 entry, the school states that applications open on 01 September 2025 and close on 15 January 2026.

Because this is a Catholic voluntary aided school, families are also asked to complete the school’s own admissions form and provide supporting documents, including a baptism certificate where relevant. That matters because faith evidence can affect oversubscription category placement, and late paperwork can reduce priority even when the local authority application is in on time.

The published admissions policy for 2026 to 2027 sets out the oversubscription order clearly:

1. Looked after and previously looked after children

2. Baptised Catholic children resident in the parish of Christ the King and Our Lady (the part formerly referred to as St Paschal Baylon)

3. Other Catholic children

4. Catechumens and members of certain Eastern Christian Churches

5. Children of other Christian ecclesial communities (with minister evidence)

6. Children of other faiths (with faith-leader evidence)

7. Any other children

Within categories, exceptional social, medical, or pastoral need can raise priority, and siblings increase priority within category. The tie-break is straight-line distance measured by the local authority system, with random allocation used if distances are identical for the final place.

Demand is a key part of the admissions reality. For the most recent dataset in this review, Reception had 153 applications for 62 offers, which is about 2.47 applications per place. First-preference demand also exceeded places, with the first-preference-to-offer ratio at 1.38. In plain terms, this is a school where living nearby helps, but faith category and paperwork discipline can be just as important as postcode.

Parents weighing chances should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check their likely priority positioning and to sanity-check travel assumptions, especially if you are relying on distance tie-breaks.

The strongest pastoral signals here are consistency and structure. Formal safeguarding arrangements are described as effective, with accurate record-keeping and regular staff training. Pupils are also described as knowing how to stay safe online and what to do if something feels wrong. That matters because a calm school day is rarely accidental, it tends to come from routines that adults follow as tightly as pupils do.

The Catholic inspection reporting adds detail that many state-school reviews cannot, particularly around day-to-day pastoral scaffolding. The existence of a quiet room for time out, the emphasis on belonging, and the way leadership roles are used to build responsibility all point to a model where behaviour is supported by relationships and clear expectations, not by constant escalation.

There is also attention to wider development and mental wellbeing in the mainstream inspection narrative, including explicit reference to pupils learning about physical and mental wellbeing, and learning about different faiths and cultures. For families concerned about “narrowness” in a faith setting, that emphasis on respect and difference is worth noting.

The strongest evidence here is specificity, because the school publishes named clubs with days and year groups, rather than leaving it as a vague promise.

Examples from the published programme include:

• Computer Club (Year 4)

• ReAction Group (Years 4 to 6)

• Dot Art Club (Year 5)

• Choir (Years 3 to 6)

• Dance Club (EYFS to Year 6)

There is also a strong football offering across multiple year groups and a multi-sports programme.

The implication for families is straightforward. If your child thrives on routine and likes to belong to something beyond the classroom, there are clear pathways to do that, whether through music, sport, arts, or pupil leadership. If you need childcare cover, it also helps that some activities run before school, not only after it.

Trips and visits add breadth. The most recent inspection report references a visit to Chester to learn about the Romans, and a beach trip linked to understanding art through the cast-iron sculptures. These are useful examples because they show learning that moves beyond worksheets, with local and regional enrichment that supports curriculum understanding.

The school publishes a “typical school day” schedule that is unusually clear for a primary. Gates open at 08:45, learning begins at 08:55, and dismissal is staged, with EYFS and Key Stage 1 at 15:00 and Key Stage 2 at 15:05.

Wraparound care is available:

• Breakfast club runs 07:45 to 08:45 on weekdays in term time, with two price points depending on arrival time and whether breakfast is included.

• After school club runs from 15:00 to 17:40 on weekdays in term time, with a published per-night cost and limited places per evening.

Because these details are published, families can plan work commitments more confidently than at many schools where wraparound is implied but not specified.

Term dates for the 2025 to 2026 academic year are also published on the school website.

• Admission complexity. Oversubscription categories and the supplementary faith paperwork mean this is not a “just apply and see” school. Families should read the admissions policy carefully and keep documents organised from the start.

• Competitive demand. With about 2.47 applications per place in the most recent dataset, a place cannot be assumed, even for families who feel locally well placed.

• Catholic life is central. The school’s Catholic character is active and visible through worship, service, leadership roles, and community expectations. Families who prefer a lighter-touch faith dimension may want to weigh fit carefully.

• After-school capacity limits. After school club places are capped per evening. If wraparound is essential, it is sensible to check how bookings work and how early you need to secure a place.

St Paschal Baylon Catholic Primary School combines a clearly structured Catholic ethos with KS2 outcomes that sit well above England averages, and it backs up “community” claims with real pupil leadership roles and published wraparound care. Best suited to families who want an explicitly Catholic primary, value strong academic basics, and are prepared to manage a competitive admissions process with supporting paperwork. The main limitation is entry, competition for places is the constraint, not the quality of provision.