St Helen's Primary School, Hartlepool
St Helen's Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Hartlepool, part of Northern Lights Learning Trust. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 30 schools in Hartlepool with published results, and 1,455th of 14,452 across England. It was 63% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hartlepool (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Helen's Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 94% of Year 6 pupils at St Helen's Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 81% and 79% in Hartlepool and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 88% in reading and 76% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Helen's Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put St Helen's Primary School as their first choice and 39 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Helen's Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Helen's Primary School are St Bega's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool (0.3 miles, 92% reading, 75% maths); Brougham Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 82% reading, 82% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool (1.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 76% maths); and Ward Jackson Church of England Primary School (1.6 miles, 100% reading, 80% maths).
St Helen's Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Bega's Catholic Primary School, HartlepoolBrougham Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, HartlepoolWard Jackson Church of England Primary School
The trust
St Helen's Primary School is one of 12 schools run by Northern Lights Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
22 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Helen's Primary School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (91%).
Who goes there
45.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 7.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 45 pupils (16.8%) received SEN support and 17 (6.3%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
St Helen's Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 25 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Staffing
St Helen's Primary School had 15 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hartlepool Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Helen's Primary School (a), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Helen's Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 3rd decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Helen's Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
St Helen's Primary School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in May 2022. Before that, as St Helen's Primary School (URN 111605), it was rated Good in January 2019.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Helen's is a caring school where children feel safe and are encouraged to be kind, respectful members of the community. The school teaches a broad curriculum and uses clever teaching strategies to help pupils remember and link their learning together. Pupils behave well, work hard, and the school offers lots of exciting clubs and activities beyond the classroom.
Key Strengths
- Broad and ambitious curriculum that builds learning progressively from early years through to Year 6, with effective use of recall strategies like 'Throwback Thursdays'
- Strong start in reading and writing in early years, with children developing mark-making and decoding skills in creative ways
- Skilful identification and support of pupils with special educational needs through the resourced provision 'The Beacon' and range of communication supports
- High expectations for behaviour, with clear routines and positive role models throughout school
- Wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities that enrich pupils' learning
Areas for Improvement
- Some SEND support plans lack precision and specificity, leading to inconsistent support across the school - targets are sometimes too broad to be effective
- School needs to strengthen staff expertise to ensure all pupils with SEND receive consistently high-quality support and that plans are revised more effectively
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with clear systems in place to ensure pupils feel safe and know that adults are quick to help with any worries or concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Breakfast club, musical performer clubs, beehive care club, community work with local older residents, food bank contributions
St Helen's Primary School has maintained its good standards and continues to be a nurturing, welcoming school at the heart of its community. Pupils are proud to attend and achieve well, with a broad and ambitious curriculum that prepares them for their next steps in learning.
At a Glance
45.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
22 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 improved from 88% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 76% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 82% to 87% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.0
Avg class size
29.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Helen's Primary School
Before and after school care
St Helen's Primary 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 Hartlepool
Term dates
St Helen's Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hartlepool's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Helen's Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Helen's Primary School is in Hartlepool; for families living there:
Apply to Hartlepool for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Hartlepool is 11 (the median across 43 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 Primary School
Will you get a place at St Helen's Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Helen's Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Helen's Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Helen's Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hartlepool, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Helen's Primary School for 2023 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hartlepool 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
63%
Available places
219 pupils
349 places
130 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hartlepool
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hartlepool
Across Hartlepool council
Places available
1,246
Applications
979
Got 1st preference
98.3%
Got preferred school
99.6%
All primary applications across Hartlepool council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
45
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
23.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
St Helen's Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 25 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
268
Total Pupils
132
Boys
136
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
17.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,565
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,258
Per pupil
£1610k
Total funding
£173k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
9.6%
Persistent absence
198
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 Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Helen's Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Helen's Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Helen's Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 94% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is St Helen's Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Helen's Primary School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in May 2022. Before that, as St Helen's Primary School (URN 111605), it was rated Good in January 2019.
What is the catchment area for St Helen's Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Helen's Primary School is oversubscribed, Hartlepool allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Helen's Primary School?
St Helen's Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 349 places.
How big are the classes at St Helen's Primary School?
Classes at St Helen's Primary School average 24 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Helen's Primary School?
St Helen's Primary School has around 268 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
Does St Helen's Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
St Helen's Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 25 places, 20 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at St Helen's Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at St Helen's Primary School in 2024/25. 9.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Helen's Primary School?
Apply through Hartlepool's coordinated admissions process, naming St Helen's 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.
Does St Helen's Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Helen's Primary 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Helen's Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Hartlepool is 11 (the median across 43 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Helen's Primary School?
St Helen's Primary School is at Durham Street, Hartlepool, TS24 0HG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)