"Back where it belongs!" - Ofsted praises Liverpool School for transformation

TURNAROUND overseen by Headteacher whose father led the School more than 30 years ago. St Nicholas's Catholic Primary School in Liverpool has been praised by Ofsted as a Good School; with inspectors saying that it has high expectations and that its pupils succeed. The transformation of the School comes less than 6 years after St Nicholas's was rated Inadequate by Ofsted.

In 2017, just after that inspection, Martin Davies was appointed Headteacher of the School; following in the footsteps of his late father Frank Davies, who led the School from 1968 to 1990 and who inspired his son to go into the teaching profession and apply for the Headteacher's job at St Nicholas's. Frank was the youngest Headteacher in the City when he was appointed, aged 33. Mr Davies' mother Maureen was also a teacher, who was awarded a CBE in 2000 for services to education.

When Ofsted visited for a return inspection in 2018 to check on progress, Mr Davies and his team had already progressed the School to Requires Improvement. And now, after a further inspection earlier this year, St Nicholas's has been rated Good.

St Nicholas's is currently a Local Authority School, but in April is due to join a new Academy Trust, St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust. St Joseph is run in partnership between the Archdiocese of Liverpool and the Diocese of Shrewsbury, and in collaboration with the Church of England Dioceses of Chester and Liverpool

Ofsted highlighted a string of positive areas at the School, including:-

► The "ambitious curriculum" the School has developed that:- "enables pupils to build up a rich body of knowledge."

► That the School is "welcoming" and celebrates diversity.

► That pupils are happy attending the School, behave well, and have positive attitudes to their learning.

► Strong teaching of reading, which enables pupils to progress in all subjects.

► That teachers are adept at identifying and then supporting pupils with special needs, and "skilled" at helping the children who need to catch up quickly because of lost learning caused by Covid.

► The range of enrichment activities which capture pupils' interest. Activities include a wide range of trips, clubs and opportunities for pupils to develop new skills and interests. Pupils are also keen to take up leadership roles, such as being a house captain, which builds their confidence.

Martin Davies, Headteacher at St Nicholas's Catholic Primary School, said:- "Our wonderful School is back where it belongs! I'm absolutely delighted that the hard work and determination that we have all put in to creating a 1st class School has been rewarded. This is a real team effort with all members of the School community playing their part; our brilliant teachers, supportive parents and of course the wonderful pupils. Ofsted's report is a superb testament to what has been achieved by all of our School's team. However, there is always more to do to make our School even better and so we will keep working hard every day to ensure ongoing improvement."

Of the influence of his father, Mr Davies added:- "When the job of Headteacher of St Nicholas's came up, I was leading a successful School outside Liverpool City centre. Some of my friends and family questioned why I wanted to go to a School with challenges. But there were 2 very good reasons. 1st I could see a School that had so much potential and secondly I knew what an honour it would be to lead the School where my father had been headteacher for so long. I saw it as his legacy. He was a brilliant School leader and such an inspiration to me. It was very special knowing that I was leading the same School where he had been Headteacher all those years ago. I hope he would be very proud of what we have achieved here and the significant difference we have made for the pupils and families of our School."

As well as St Nicholas's, 5 other Schools are in the 1st group of Schools to join St Joseph: Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School (Sefton), St Ambrose Primary School (Liverpool), St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic High School (St Helen's), St Chad's Catholic and Church of England High School (Halton) and The Trinity Catholic Primary School (Liverpool).

Further Schools are due to join in the summer term and then in the next academic year. All the Schools which join St Joseph will benefit from being part of both an academy trust and the wider Diocesan education family. Together, this will bring opportunities for staff to share, learn from and introduce best practice, as well as access continuing professional development from external providers. The model will mean that pupils in the academies will receive great teaching and learning, helping ensure high standards in all areas of School life. It is expected that the Schools which join St Joseph will leave the trust in 2 or 3 years to join other Catholic or Church of England academy trusts as their permanent home.

Andrew Truby, CEO of St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said:- "I am extremely pleased for the whole School community in receiving this well-deserved recognition of their hard work. The report showcases so many of this excellent School's strengths. St Nicolas's embodies what our Trust is all about; transforming children's lives through providing high quality education. We are delighted to be welcoming St Nicholas's Catholic Primary School into our Trust shortly and I am very much looking forward to working with the School. St Joseph will provide a Catholic home for a Schools, whose children and young people are nurtured and challenged to reach their potential."

For more information, please visit:- StJosephMAT.Org.UK.