Bleak Hill Primary School, St Helens
Bleak Hill Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in St Helens. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 36 schools in St Helens with published results, and 4,602nd of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to St. Helens (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bleak Hill Primary School in detail
Bleak Hill Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "We will be holding Open Evening's for September 2027 Reception intake on Tuesday 6th October 2026 and Tuesday 10th November 2026, there is no requirement to book a session. School will be open for parents from 4.30pm - 6.00pm, with talks from Mr Dagnall at 5.00pm and 5.30pm."
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in St. Helens
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Bleak Hill Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 74% in St. Helens and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (83% in reading, 83% in maths).
Getting a place at Bleak Hill Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 92 families put Bleak Hill Primary School as their first choice and 192 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Bleak Hill Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bleak Hill Primary School are St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); St Julie's Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 91% reading, 83% maths); Queen's Park CofE/Urc Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths); and Rivington Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 78% reading, 74% maths).
Bleak Hill Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary SchoolSt Julie's Catholic Primary SchoolQueen's Park CofE/Urc Primary SchoolRivington Primary School
Who goes there
7.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 76 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 17 (2.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Helens Central Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hamilton Road (adjacent), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bleak Hill Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bleak Hill Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Bleak Hill Primary School are De La Salle School (0.5 miles) and Cowley International College (0.8 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Bleak Hill Primary School excels at developing confident, fluent readers and inspiring a genuine love of books across the school. Staff are highly skilled at teaching across all subjects and quickly identify what each pupil needs to learn. The school creates a warm, purposeful learning environment where all pupils, including those with additional needs, participate fully and achieve their best.
Key Strengths
- Reading is central to the curriculum with a well-ordered phonics programme and highly effective strategies to support all learners
- Staff have strong expertise across the curriculum and regularly check pupils' understanding to address misconceptions swiftly
- Behaviour is exemplary with pupils showing great focus, respect and care for each other
- Pupils with SEND are identified early and supported effectively to learn subject curriculums very well
- Comprehensive personal development programme with leadership opportunities prepares pupils to be active citizens
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
sports clubs, creative activities, career events, science fair, outdoor cooking, subject ambassador roles, house captain roles
Bleak Hill Primary School is an outstanding school where pupils flourish in a caring, happy environment and achieve highly. The school provides an exceptional education with rich, memorable experiences for all pupils.
At a Glance
7.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 83% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 83% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
17
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
1 unlawfully large infant class
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Bleak Hill Primary School
Newsletter Friday 2nd October 2026
2 Oct 2026
Newsletter Friday 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter Friday 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter Friday 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter Friday 17th July 2026
17 Jul 2026
Newsletter Friday 10th July 2026
10 Jul 2026
From Bleak Hill Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Bleak Hill Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bleak Hill Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bleak Hill Primary School is in St. Helens; for families living there:
Apply to St. Helens for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in St. Helens is 11.5 (the median across 80 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bleak Hill Primary School
Will you get a place at Bleak Hill Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bleak Hill Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bleak Hill Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bleak Hill Primary School.
- St. Helens publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Bleak Hill Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bleak Hill Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in St. Helens got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
579 pupils
630 places
51 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - St Helens
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for St Helens
Across St. Helens council
Places available
2,180
Applications
1,809
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across St. Helens council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
76
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
15.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
608
Total Pupils
312
Boys
296
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
29
Teachers
21.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,554
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,085
Per pupil
£3170k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
6.6%
Persistent absence
502
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Bleak Hill Primary School
Questions parents ask about Bleak Hill Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bleak Hill Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bleak Hill Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Bleak Hill Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bleak Hill Primary School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024.
What is the catchment area for Bleak Hill Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bleak Hill Primary School is oversubscribed, St. Helens allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bleak Hill Primary School?
Bleak Hill Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Bleak Hill Primary School?
Classes at Bleak Hill Primary School average 29 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Bleak Hill Primary School?
Bleak Hill Primary School has around 608 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bleak Hill Primary School?
3.5% of sessions were missed at Bleak Hill Primary School in 2024/25. 6.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bleak Hill Primary School?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming Bleak Hill Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Bleak Hill Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in St. Helens is 11.5 (the median across 80 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bleak Hill Primary School?
Bleak Hill Primary School is at Hamilton Road, Windle, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 6HG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)