A big school with a big heart

Waterloo Primary School and Nursery is a welcoming, ambitious and inclusive school for children aged two to eleven.

We are a two-form-entry mainstream primary school with a Nursery and six specialist provision classes. Although Waterloo is a large school, we work hard to maintain a close, caring, family feel in which every child is known, valued and encouraged to shine.

Our aim is simple: to provide a safe, calm and nurturing environment, excellent teaching and the right support so that every pupil can learn, belong and achieve.

Where We Are

Our school is situated on Crosby Road North in Waterloo, within the borough of Sefton. We serve children and families from Waterloo, Seaforth, Bootle, Litherland and the surrounding communities.

We are proud of our local identity and want our pupils to understand, value and contribute positively to the community in which they live. At the same time, our curriculum opens children’s eyes to the wider world and the possibilities available to them.

What Makes Waterloo Distinctive

Inclusion is at the heart of our school

Waterloo is a mainstream primary school, but inclusion is one of our defining strengths.

Our six specialist provision classes support pupils with a range of additional needs, including autism and cognition and learning needs. Pupils within our specialist provision are not a separate school within our school: they are Waterloo pupils and full members of our community.

Children access the combination of specialist teaching, individual support, shared experiences and opportunities to learn alongside their mainstream peers that is right for them. We recognise that meaningful inclusion will look different for different children and that it must always be purposeful, carefully planned and in each child’s best interests.

This expertise strengthens practice across the whole school. It helps us to understand children as individuals, respond thoughtfully to their needs and create classrooms in which a wide range of learners can succeed.

Removing Barriers to Learning

We believe that a child’s circumstances, starting point or additional needs should never determine the limits of their future.

Our responsibility is to identify the barriers that may prevent a pupil from participating, learning or achieving—and then work determinedly to remove or reduce them. This may involve adapting teaching, providing specialist resources, developing communication, supporting emotional regulation, strengthening relationships or working closely with families and other professionals.

We are committed to equity. This does not mean that every child receives exactly the same. It means that every child receives what they need to belong, participate and succeed.

Removing barriers does not mean lowering expectations. We are ambitious for every pupil and combine high expectations with the understanding, adaptations and support children need to meet them.

Learning at Waterloo

Our pupils benefit from an ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum, with a strong emphasis on the knowledge and skills that unlock future learning.

Communication and language, oracy, reading, handwriting, spelling and mathematics provide essential foundations throughout the school. Alongside these, pupils experience the full breadth of the curriculum, enriching experiences, visits, residentials, clubs and opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

Our approach is shaped by our SHINE values:

• Strive – we work hard and keep improving.

• Honesty – we tell the truth and take responsibility.

• Inclusion – everyone belongs and everyone matters.

• Nurture – we care for ourselves and one another.

• Excellence – we aim high and take pride in all that we do.

Together, these values help us create a school in which pupils feel secure, develop confidence and are prepared for the next stage of their education.

Our History

Waterloo has served its community for more than a century.

The school opened on 21 October 1911 as Crosby Road North County Primary School. In September 1999, it became Waterloo Primary School, reflecting its place at the heart of the local community.

In September 2024, Waterloo converted to academy status and joined Mersey View Learning Trust, becoming part of a collaborative family of schools while retaining its own identity, character and connection to the community it serves.

Much has changed since the school first opened its doors, but its central purpose has remained constant: to serve local children and families and give every pupil the strongest possible start in life.

Today, we are proud of our history and excited about our future—a school where everyone belongs, barriers are challenged and every child is given the opportunity to SHINE.