SCHOOL PROFILE

Sylvester Primary Academy

Primary Academy converter URN 143878
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 251 Published school capacity
Capacity used 117.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

13 November 2024
Latest published outcome Standards maintained
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Knowsley
Trust WADE DEACON TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 294 286 full-time · 8 part-time
Female pupils 137 46.6% of pupils
Male pupils 157 53.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

41.2%
16.4 pts above England
School 41.2%
Knowsley 41.7%
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%
Knowsley 8.8%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.0%
0.0 pts in line with England
School 1.0%
Knowsley 0.3%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
91.2%
268
Any other White background
4.4%
13
Any other ethnic group
1.0%
3
White and Black African
1.0%
3
Any other Mixed background
0.7%
2
Any other Asian background
0.3%
1
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 25.9% 76 of 294 pupils
5.0 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 25.9%
Knowsley 26.4%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 21.4% 63 pupils
England 14.8% 6.6 pts above
EHC plans 4.4% 13 pupils
England 6.0% 1.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 24
Autistic spectrum disorder 21
Moderate learning difficulty 13
Social, emotional & mental health 9
Other difficulty or disability 4
Specific learning difficulty 4

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

58.0% 2.4 pts below England
School 58.0%
Knowsley 57.0%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

65.0%

8.8 pts below England

School 65.0%
Knowsley 71.1%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

71.0%

0.7 pts above England

School 71.0%
Knowsley 66.3%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

71.0%

1.0 pts below England

School 71.0%
Knowsley 69.5%
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

5.51%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.71 pts lower than England
School 5.51%
Knowsley 7.68%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

18.58%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

2.77 pts higher than England
School 18.58%
Knowsley 22.49%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.33%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.48 pts lower than England
School 1.33%
Knowsley 1.96%
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

117.1% 28.9 pts above England
Sylvester Primary Academy
117.1%
Knowsley
99.5%
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