St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School, Brentwood
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Brentwood. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024. It was 78% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School in detail
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cooking and art.
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 9.30am, an open day on Thursday 26 November 2026 at 9.30am and an open day on Friday 27 November 2026 at 9.30am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 63 families put St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School as their first choice and 170 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 16 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School are St Helen's Catholic Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 88% reading, 87% maths); St Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, Brentwood (0.2 miles, Good, 82% reading, 78% maths); Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 97% reading, 93% maths); and Larchwood Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 78% reading, 85% maths).
St Helen's Catholic Junior SchoolSt Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Aided Primary School, BrentwoodShenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolLarchwood Primary School
Who goes there
9.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (56%), Black (10%) and Mixed (9%).
In 2026, 6 pupils (3.5%) received SEN support and 6 (3.5%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Brentwood Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Helen's School (s-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 198 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School are Becket Keys Church of England Free School (0.1 miles), Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School (0.8 miles), Brentwood County High School (0.9 miles) and Shenfield High School (1.3 miles).
Becket Keys Church of England Free SchoolBrentwood Ursuline Convent High SchoolBrentwood County High SchoolShenfield High School
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 Good at its March 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education.
At a Glance
9.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
1 class 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 St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School
5 2nd October 2026
2 Oct 2026
4 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
3 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
2 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
1 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
39 17th July 2026
17 Jul 2026
From St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School.
- St Helens (Brentwood) Wrap Around Care LTDAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School
Will you get a place at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex 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
78%
Available places
190 pupils
243 places
53 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brentwood
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brentwood
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
6
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
6.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
173
Total Pupils
89
Boys
84
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,912
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,311
Per pupil
£1087k
Total funding
£29k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
7.3%
Persistent absence
137
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 Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School
Questions parents ask about St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School
What is St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2011 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 243 places.
How big are the classes at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
Classes at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School average 29.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School has around 173 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School in 2024/25. 7.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery 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 Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: St Helens (Brentwood) Wrap Around Care LTD (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 Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School?
St Helen's Catholic Infant & Nursery School is at Sawyers Hall Lane, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9BY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)