Primary School Improvement

Our mission is to support, strengthen and champion the 183 Catholic primary schools across the Archdiocese by providing evidence-informed guidance, high-quality professional development, and responsive school improvement support.

We work alongside headteachers, governors, teachers and support staff to ensure every child receives an excellent, inclusive and deeply rooted Catholic education.

Through our experienced School Improvement Partners and our links with reputable national organisations, we help schools stay aligned with current DfE expectations, Ofsted reforms and the evolving educational landscape.

— Primary School Improvement Team
Archdiocese of Liverpool

About us

We are committed to supporting high-quality Catholic education across our 183 primary schools by ensuring leaders and staff receive timely, evidence-informed and mission-aligned guidance. Working across all eight local authorities, our highly experienced School Improvement Partners (SIPs) provide professional challenge, coaching and strategic support rooted in current national frameworks.

Our work reflects recent DfE curriculum developments, strengthened statutory safeguarding guidance, and Ofsted’s renewed Education Inspection Framework. These national changes emphasise curriculum coherence, inclusion, attendance, online safety, digital literacy and sustainability — all of which shape our school improvement priorities.

Leading this work, Ged Preston and Dave Smith oversee the Primary School Improvement offer for the Archdiocese, ensuring our support is strategic, collaborative, coherent and mission‑driven. Sandra provides coordination and organisational oversight for all training, events and subscriptions, helping schools access high‑quality professional development and timely guidance throughout the year.

Services

Our annual Trust Membership offers schools discounted access to key educational subscriptions such as National College, Compliance Management, SeeSaw and FFT, alongside a wide range of free events, training and CPD opportunities delivered throughout the year, with priority access to centrally coordinated support. Many schools choose to complement this with optional SIP support, providing a blend of in-school visits and evidence-informed guidance from experienced headteachers and specialist consultants.

Non-Archdiocesan schools may attend CPD events at £100 per delegate, and any enquiries can be directed to Sandra at s.martin@rcaol.org.uk.

Calender of events

Please see below for the calender of events from our Education Department.

Education Department Calendar 2025 - 2026

Secondary School Improvement

We are a family of 36 Catholic secondary schools and sixth form colleges across the Archdiocese, operating within eight local authorities: Halton, Liverpool, Lancashire, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wigan and Warrington. For operational purposes, we are organised into three clusters: Central (Knowsley, Sefton and St Helens); East (Halton, Lancashire, Warrington and Wigan); and West (Liverpool).

The Archdiocese of Liverpool Secondary School Improvement exists to enable 36 secondary schools and sixth form colleges to work collaboratively to strengthen, promote and celebrate the distinctive Catholic ethos of our schools. Our aim is to provide opportunities for leaders and teachers at all levels to support leadership development, workforce CPD and student activities, enabling us to lead and learn collaboratively.

Developing a strong core of school and college leaders with effective distributive leadership models and the capacity to support other schools.
Providing a comprehensive peer-to-peer professional and leadership development (CPD) pathway, from early career teachers through to senior leadership.
Ensuring access to talent management and succession planning systems that identify and nurture leadership potential.
Promoting engagement in research and development across the Archdiocese.
Supporting schools in preparation for inspection.

This will be achieved through:

Promoting the Catholic ethos, mission and core purpose of the improvement network.
Facilitating effective communication and collaboration between schools and staff at all levels.
Sharing policies and best practice across schools.
Coordinating and evaluating events and improvement activities for students, teachers and leaders.