Sixty-three schools in Liverpool and Merseyside currently hold Ofsted’s highest rating.
Ofsted is the regulatory body for schools, providing institutions with ratings on a four-point scale, ranging from 'inadequate' to 'outstanding'. Grades are based on overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviours and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
While concerns have been raised about Ofsted’s single-word judgements, many parents look at inspection reports as a way to decide which school is best suited to their children, with reports providing an in-depth analysis of how the school operated during a one to two day visit.
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Many primary schools across Liverpool and Merseyside are rated as ‘good’, however, fewer have been awarded the top mark. We have scoured the ratings to find out which schools are the most highly rated, with 63 primary schools across the region ranked 'outstanding' in 2024.
Below are all of the Merseyside primary schools currently* ranked as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Did your child’s school make the list? *Ratings are correct as of June 9, 2024. Full inspection reports can be found here.
1. Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School, Ainsdale,
Published in June 2013, the Ofsted report for Ainsdale St John’s Church of England Primary School reads: "Outstanding teaching makes certain that all pupils learn very well. Teachers and other adults have very high expectations of all learners. They know pupils exceptionally well and set challenging work which encourages pupils to reason and develop independent learning skills." | Google Street View Photo: Google Street View
2. All Saints' Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Liverpool
Published in June 2015, the Ofsted report for All Saints’ Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School states: “This is a school that has improved significantly since the last inspection and now provides an outstanding education for its pupils. All Saints is at the heart of its community. It is led by an inspirational headteacher and very ably supported by senior leaders, middle leaders and governors." | Google Street View Photo: Google Street View
3. Bank View High School, Liverpool
Published in April 2019, the Ofsted report for Bank View High School reads: “Leaders check diligently on the quality of teaching. They use a variety of different approaches to ensure that they have very detailed and up-to-date knowledge of the standard of teaching throughout the school. The systems used to monitor teaching ensure that teachers receive support and challenge to improve their practice. The least- experienced teachers continue to require this support." | Bank View High School Photo: Bank View High School
4. Bleak Hill Primary School, St Helens
Published in November 2017, the Ofsted report for Bleak Hill Primary School reads: “The carefully planned and ambitious curriculum is strong. Teachers provide an extensive range of experiences that enable pupils to broaden their understanding in a wide range of contexts. For example, the work pupils produced during the recent art week was of a very high quality. Through the very-well-planned curriculum, leaders have ensured that pupils know how to stay safe, including when out in the community and when online." | google Photo: Google Street View