St Bede's Catholic Infant School, Widnes
St Bede's Catholic Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Widnes. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. It was 98% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Halton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Bede's Catholic Infant School in detail
Getting a place at St Bede's Catholic Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 58 families put St Bede's Catholic Infant School as their first choice and 143 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Bede's Catholic Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Bede's Catholic Infant School are St Bede's Catholic Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 71% reading, 77% maths); Kingsway Primary Academy School (0.3 miles, Good, 60% reading, 56% maths); Fairfield Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 81% reading, 80% maths); and St Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School (0.6 miles, Good, 90% reading, 83% maths).
St Bede's Catholic Junior SchoolKingsway Primary Academy SchoolFairfield Primary SchoolSt Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School
Who goes there
3.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Widnes Rail Station, about 890 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Leigh Avenue, 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Bede's Catholic Infant School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 255 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Halton (166), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Bede's Catholic Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Bede's Catholic Infant School are Wade Deacon High School (0.3 miles), Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School (0.4 miles) and Ormiston Chadwick Academy (1.2 miles).
Wade Deacon High SchoolSaints Peter and Paul Catholic High SchoolOrmiston Chadwick Academy
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its October 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
20.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
24.0
Infant (KS1)
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Bede's Catholic Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Bede's Catholic Infant School.
- Raring Stars - Kingsway Primary510m away · Not yet graded
- Kip McGrath Education Centre Widnes680m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Bede's Catholic Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Bede's Catholic Infant School is in Halton; for families living there:
Apply to Halton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 29
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 11
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 29 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 20 slight.
11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 4 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 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 Halton is 9.5 (the median across 70 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 St Bede's Catholic Infant School
Will you get a place at St Bede's Catholic Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Bede's Catholic Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Bede's Catholic Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Bede's Catholic Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Halton, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Bede's Catholic Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Halton 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
98%
Near capacity
228 pupils
233 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Widnes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Widnes
Across Halton council
Places available
1,555
Applications
1,158
Got 1st preference
93.4%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All primary applications across Halton council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
17.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
223
Total Pupils
116
Boys
107
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,549
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,506
Per pupil
£1391k
Total funding
£73k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
10.2%
Persistent absence
157
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
St Bede's Catholic Infant School
Questions parents ask about St Bede's Catholic Infant School
What is St Bede's Catholic Infant School's Ofsted rating?
St Bede's Catholic Infant School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2023.
What is the catchment area for St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When St Bede's Catholic Infant School is oversubscribed, Halton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
St Bede's Catholic Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
Classes at St Bede's Catholic Infant School average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
St Bede's Catholic Infant School has around 223 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at St Bede's Catholic Infant School in 2024/25. 10.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
Apply through Halton's coordinated admissions process, naming St Bede's Catholic Infant 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.
Does St Bede's Catholic Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Bede's Catholic Infant School: Raring Stars - Kingsway Primary (510m away, registered, not yet graded) and Kip McGrath Education Centre Widnes (680m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 29 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 20 slight. 11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 4 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 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 Halton is 9.5 (the median across 70 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Bede's Catholic Infant School?
St Bede's Catholic Infant School is at Leigh Avenue, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 6EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)