St Bede's Catholic Junior School, WIDNES
St Bede's Catholic Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Widnes. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 19 schools in WIDNES with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Capacity
- Full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Bede's Catholic Junior School in detail
St Bede's Catholic Junior School in its own words
In its own words: "T he Catholic Church acknowledges parents/carers as the first teachers of their child(ren) and strives to support them in their privileged responsibility of educating their child(ren) in the faith."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at St Bede's Catholic Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Halton and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 79% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Bede's Catholic Junior School
Across Halton, 93% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Halton lodged 18 appeals against primary school offers; 14 reached a hearing and 6 succeeded (42.9% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Bede's Catholic Junior School are St Bede's Catholic Infant School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding); 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 School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
St Bede's Catholic Infant SchoolKingsway Primary Academy SchoolFairfield Primary SchoolSt Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School
What parents say
54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Bede's Catholic Junior School (as of September 2025): 78% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Who goes there
3.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (90%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 70 pupils (22.9%) received SEN support and 4 (1.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Widnes Rail Station, about 850 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Appleton Village, 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Bede's Catholic Junior 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 257 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
In 2024/25, St Bede's Catholic Junior School issued 1 suspension, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Bede's Catholic Junior School are Wade Deacon High School (0.3 miles), Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School (0.4 miles) and Ormiston Chadwick Academy (1.1 miles).
Wade Deacon High SchoolSaints Peter and Paul Catholic High SchoolOrmiston Chadwick Academy
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 February 2020, 6 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
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Bede's excels at creating a warm, supportive environment where children love coming to school and feel genuinely safe. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use clever teaching to help pupils progress smoothly, with reading woven throughout every classroom. Pupils develop into thoughtful, kind citizens through extensive leadership opportunities and community involvement, from being prefects and eco-warriors to supporting local charities.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve significantly above national average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6
- Exceptionally high standards of behaviour with pupils keen to learn and fully engaged in lessons
- Strong, ambitious curriculum that is logically ordered, helping pupils make excellent progress
- Reading is prioritized across the school with high-quality texts and quick identification of pupils needing support
- Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported very well to follow the same curriculum as classmates
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff creating an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Dance, debating, taekwondo, mental health ambassador roles, junior safety officer roles, eco-warrior roles, prefect roles, residential trips, school visitors including authors, police and fire brigade
St Bede's Catholic Junior School is a well-established junior school where pupils thrive academically, socially and emotionally in calm, purposeful classrooms. Evidence suggests the school has improved significantly across all areas since its previous inspection in 2020.
At a Glance
32.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
54 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 79% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.6
Avg class size
10
Total classes
6 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Bede's Catholic Junior School
Before and after school care
St Bede's Catholic Junior School 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 Halton
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Bede's Catholic Junior School.
- Raring Stars - Kingsway Primary540m away · Not yet graded
- Kip McGrath Education Centre Widnes710m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Bede's Catholic Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Bede's Catholic Junior 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
- 27
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 19 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
102%
Over capacity
307 pupils
300 places
7 pupils over capacity 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.
Inspection History(5)
Ungraded inspection: The school has improved significantly.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
70
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
24.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
306
Total Pupils
156
Boys
150
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,070
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,399
Per pupil
£1866k
Total funding
£139k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
9.4%
Persistent absence
310
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 Junior School
Questions parents ask about St Bede's Catholic Junior School
What are SATs results like at St Bede's Catholic Junior School?
Of the pupils at St Bede's Catholic Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is St Bede's Catholic Junior School's Ofsted rating?
St Bede's Catholic Junior School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Bede's Catholic Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When St Bede's Catholic Junior 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 Junior School?
St Bede's Catholic Junior School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Bede's Catholic Junior School?
Classes at St Bede's Catholic Junior School average 30.6 pupils (2025/26). 6 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Bede's Catholic Junior School?
St Bede's Catholic Junior School has around 306 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Bede's Catholic Junior School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St Bede's Catholic Junior School in 2024/25. 9.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Bede's Catholic Junior School?
Apply through Halton's coordinated admissions process, naming St Bede's Catholic Junior School 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 St Bede's Catholic Junior School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Bede's Catholic Junior School 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. Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Bede's Catholic Junior School: Raring Stars - Kingsway Primary (540m away, registered, not yet graded) and Kip McGrath Education Centre Widnes (710m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near St Bede's Catholic Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 19 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 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 Junior School?
St Bede's Catholic Junior School is at Appleton Village, WIDNES, Cheshire, WA8 6EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)