Pace, St Helens
Pace is a pru school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in St Helens. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Pace in detail
Who goes there
56.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 11 pupils (68.8%) received SEN support and 5 (31.3%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Helens Junction Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Derbyshire Hill Road (adjacent), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Pace stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Pace specializes in supporting pupils who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion, and creates a calm, supportive environment where pupils develop confidence and manage their emotions better. Staff are patient and skilled at helping pupils transform their behaviour, with parents reporting significant positive changes. The school carefully tailors learning to each pupil's needs, particularly for those with SEND, ensuring they achieve well from their starting points.
Key Strengths
- New phonics programme helps pupils develop reading skills quickly, especially those at early stages
- Staff are skilled at supporting pupils' behaviour management and creating smooth transitions
- Strong curriculum structure that builds progressively on pupils' knowledge and individual needs
- Effective partnerships with parents and other agencies to support pupils with SEND
- Wide range of enrichment activities including trips and clubs that foster pupils' interests and talents
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment in some subjects (including PSHE) doesn't identify gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly enough
- Oversight of some curriculum subjects is not consistently effective
- High rates of persistent absence, especially for new pupils
- Some pupils don't retain PSHE learning as well as they could
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Cookery, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor games, trips, visiting speakers
Pace is a calm and welcoming pupil referral unit that helps pupils settle into education and develop positive relationships with staff and peers. The school has introduced a new curriculum since the last inspection which has improved the quality of education.
At a Glance
56.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with Pace
Before and after school care
Pace is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in St. Helens
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pace from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pace 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
- 12
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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
Capacity & Demand
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
2,109
Applications
1,849
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across St. Helens council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
16
Total Pupils
15
Boys
1
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
1.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,702
Mean salary
2026 data
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Questions parents ask about Pace
What is Pace's Ofsted rating?
Pace's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Pace?
No fixed boundary. When Pace is oversubscribed, St. Helens allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Pace?
Pace has around 16 pupils on roll. 56% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Pace?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming Pace on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Pace have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Pace is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Pace?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Pace?
Pace is at Derbyshire Hill Road, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 2LH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)