SCHOOL PROFILE

Fender Primary School

Primary Community school URN 105039
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 262 Published school capacity
Capacity used 105.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

2 June 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Needs attention
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

21 June 2022
Graded inspection Good
Published 18 July 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Wirral
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 275 275 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 130 47.3% of pupils
Male pupils 145 52.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

61.1%
36.3 pts above England
School 61.1%
Wirral 32.1%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

6.5%
13.8 pts below England
School 6.5%
Wirral 7.3%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Wirral 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
86.5%
238
Unclassified
2.9%
8
Indian
2.5%
7
Any other Mixed background
1.8%
5
Any other Asian background
1.5%
4
Any other White background
1.5%
4
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 44.4% 122 of 275 pupils
23.5 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 44.4%
Wirral 25.9%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 30.2% 83 pupils
England 14.8% 15.4 pts above
EHC plans 14.2% 39 pupils
England 6.0% 8.1 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 60
Social, emotional & mental health 32
Autistic spectrum disorder 16
Physical disability 5
Moderate learning difficulty 4
Specific learning difficulty 2

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

41.0% 19.4 pts below England
School 41.0%
Wirral 53.3%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

47.0%

26.8 pts below England

School 47.0%
Wirral 69.0%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

56.0%

14.3 pts below England

School 56.0%
Wirral 63.5%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

41.0%

31.0 pts below England

School 41.0%
Wirral 64.9%
North West 71.7%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

11.06%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.85 pts higher than England
School 11.06%
Wirral 7.24%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

36.77%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

20.96 pts higher than England
School 36.77%
Wirral 19.16%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.59%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.78 pts higher than England
School 3.59%
Wirral 2.02%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

105.0% 16.8 pts above England
Fender Primary School
105.0%
Wirral
87.3%
North West
90.6%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information