Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School, St Helens
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in St Helens. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 15th-highest of the 36 schools in St Helens with published results, and 7,842nd of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to St. Helens (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School in detail
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I hope it gives you a real taste of our school and our wonderful community. I am extremely proud to be the Headteacher of such a caring, exciting and forward-thinking school in the heart of Parr, St Helens. Our mission, "Guided by the Holy Spirit, together we SOAR," is at the centre of everything we do."
The school runs a breakfast club.
Coming up: an open evening on Monday 2 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in St. Helens
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at Holy Spirit Catholic 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 fell from 89% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 62 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 4 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School are Broad Oak Community Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 75% reading, 63% maths); Sutton Oak CofE Primary School (1 mile, Good, 73% reading, 78% maths); Allanson Street Primary School (1 mile, Good, 72% reading, 72% maths); and Legh Vale Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 66% reading, 56% maths).
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Broad Oak Community Primary SchoolSutton Oak CofE Primary SchoolAllanson Street Primary SchoolLegh Vale Primary School
What parents say
42 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 64% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (64%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 28 pupils (13.1%) received SEN support and 6 (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 Junction Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
19 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Swan Avenue (opposite), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 3.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School are St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy (0.6 miles), St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy (1 mile) and Outwood Academy Haydock (1.2 miles).
St Cuthbert's Catholic AcademySt Augustine of Canterbury Catholic AcademyOutwood Academy Haydock
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Holy Spirit is a caring, welcoming school where pupils thrive because they feel loved and valued. The school has excellent phonics teaching and produces strong, confident readers from an early age. Staff are highly trained and enthusiastic, delivering an ambitious curriculum that supports all learners, including those with additional needs, to succeed.
Key Strengths
- Pupils with SEND are celebrated and well supported to achieve their full potential
- Strong teaching of phonics with prompt additional support helping struggling readers catch up quickly
- Rich, ambitious curriculum with clear knowledge and vocabulary progression from early years
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
- Many opportunities for pupils to take responsibility and develop confidence through roles like subject ambassadors and school council members
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, pupils do not regularly revisit learning from previous terms and years, making it harder to build new knowledge
- Assessment strategies in some subjects are still being developed and are not yet as effective as those in more established subjects
- Need to refine methods for checking what pupils remember to identify and address learning gaps
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff quickly identifying additional needs and the school creating a safe, open culture where pupils feel confident confiding in adults.
Extracurricular Activities
Golf club, Choir, Dance, Drama workshops, History workshops, Trips (including Denmark)
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School has successfully maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. Pupils feel valued and cared for in this welcoming school where staff have high ambitions for every child's success.
At a Glance
28.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
42 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 89% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.4
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
2.10.26 Weekly news and updates (RE focus)
2 Oct 2026
24.09.26 Weekly news and updates
24 Sep 2026
18.09.26 Weekly news and updates
18 Sep 2026
11.09.26 Weekly news and updates
11 Sep 2026
4.09.26 Weekly news and updates
4 Sep 2026
RE Newsletter - 20th March 2026
20 Mar 2026
From Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Holy Spirit Catholic 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 13 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School.
- St. Helens publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Holy Spirit Catholic 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
194 pupils
210 places
16 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(13)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
16.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
213
Total Pupils
109
Boys
104
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
17.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,835
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,911
Per pupil
£1295k
Total funding
£94k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
10.5%
Persistent absence
171
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
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Holy Spirit Catholic 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 Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School average 26.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School has around 213 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 10.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming Holy Spirit Catholic 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 Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 13 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School?
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School is at Brunswick Street, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 2JE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)