Schools across St. Helens

How many schools are there in St. Helens?

St. Helens has 80 open schools: 54 state primary, 10 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 10 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in St. Helens are rated Outstanding?

14 schools in St. Helens were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Carmel College, Bleak Hill Primary School, St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School, Garswood Primary and Nursery School, Grange Valley Primary School and 9 more. Counting Good as well, 89% of the 66 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Carmel CollegeBleak Hill Primary SchoolSt Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary SchoolGarswood Primary and Nursery SchoolGrange Valley Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in St. Helens get the best GCSE results?

Of the 10 schools in St. Helens with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Rainhill High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.3 and 51% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Rainford High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.2 and 55% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The Sutton Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 45.5 and 46% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Rainhill High SchoolRainford High SchoolThe Sutton Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in St. Helens have the best SATs results?

Of the 52 primary schools in St. Helens with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Mary's Catholic Primary School (94% in reading, 94% in maths); St John Vianney Catholic Primary School (83% in reading, 100% in maths); and St Peter's CofE Primary School (89% in reading, 91% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolSt John Vianney Catholic Primary SchoolSt Peter's CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in St. Helens?

No. None of the state secondary schools in St. Helens selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in St. Helens?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. St. Helens published how far the last place offered went at this school: Cowley International College, 2.466 miles for 2026 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Cowley International College

Source: St. Helens admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in St. Helens?

Apply to St. Helens through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.