Forty-two schools in Liverpool and Merseyside currently ‘require improvement’, according to Ofsted.
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.
Concerns have been raised about Ofsted’s single-word judgements in recent months, and the body has received more backlash following BBC Panorama’s expose on bullying and abuse at Wirral Life school, which was rated as ‘good’.
However, 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.
We have scoured the ratings to find out which schools Ofsted believe to not be operating as well as they should be, with 42 schools across the region ranked 'requires improvement’ in 2024.
Below are all of the Merseyside primary and secondary schools currently* ranked as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted. Did your child’s school make the list? *Ratings are correct as of June 19, 2024. Full inspection reports can be found here.
5. Castleway Primary School, Moreton, Wirral CH46
Published in January 2023, the Ofsted report for Castleway Primary School reads: “Pupils are proud of their school. Everyone is welcome and everyone is valued at Castleway. It is a vibrant and happy place. Pupils understand leaders’ high expectations of their behaviour and they make every effort to fulfil them. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are polite, confident and articulate. They develop empathy for others and get on well together. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone with equal respect, regardless of their differences." | Image: Google Street View Photo: Google Street View
6. Cathcart Street Primary School, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41
Published in May 2024, the Ofsted report for Cathcart Street Primary School states: "Pupils are happy to attend this school and know that staff care about them. They like the way that their teachers are kind and friendly. Pupils enjoy contributing to school life. For example, the eco-committee recently won an award which provided funding to improve the playground for other pupils. The school has not maintained a good quality of education over time. This means that many groups of pupils have underachieved. Previous turbulence in leadership contributed to this decline. However, the school is now more settled following changes in leadership. New subject curriculums are beginning to show promise. Pupils’ attainment is beginning to improve. Nevertheless, there is still some work to do to improve pupils’ experience at the school." | Google Street View Photo: Google Street View
7. Cavendish View School, Cavendish Drive, Liverpool L9
Published in July 2022, the Ofsted report for Cavendish View School states: "Staff have high expectations of pupils’ achievement. Pupils enjoy learning, especially in physical education (PE) and design technology (DT), in which they achieve well. However, in other subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. All pupils are new to the school; some started this term. However, staff identify pupils’ interests early. Leaders provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils to express themselves. Pupils develop their talents and skills in different areas of the curriculum, including in drama, dance, gardening, singing and sports." | Google Street View Photo: Google Street View
8. Co-op Academy Portland, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41
Published in May 2023, the Ofsted report for Co-op Academy Portland reads: “Leaders, governors and trustees have an ambitious vision for the school. However, their ambition to provide a high-quality curriculum has been beset with difficulties by the upheaval in staffing. This is particularly the case in early years.” | Google Street View Photo: Google Street View