St James' Church of England Primary School, St Helens
St James' Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in St Helens, part of Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 36 schools in St Helens with published results, and 3,408th of 14,452 across England. It was 77% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to St. Helens (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James' Church of England Primary School in detail
St James' Church of England Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 9 November 2026 and an open evening on Monday 9 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in St. Helens
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 95% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 74% in St. Helens and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 60% in reading and 48% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St James' Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put St James' Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 32 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 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 James' Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James' Church of England Primary School are Haydock English Martyrs' Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 76% reading, 73% maths); Grange Valley Primary School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 75% reading, 82% maths); Lyme Community Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 79% reading, 72% maths); and Legh Vale Primary School (1 mile, Good, 66% reading, 56% maths).
St James' Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Haydock English Martyrs' Primary SchoolGrange Valley Primary SchoolLyme Community Primary SchoolLegh Vale Primary School
The trust
St James' Church of England Primary School is one of 19 schools run by Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
43.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 11.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (78%), Black (6%) and Asian (6%).
In 2026, 15 pupils (9.3%) received SEN support and 11 (6.8%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Earlestown Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is North Street (adjacent), 60 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St James' Church of England Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St James' Church of England Primary School are Outwood Academy Haydock (0.7 miles); The Byrchall High School (1.3 miles); St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield (1.4 miles); and Hope Academy (1.6 miles).
Outwood Academy HaydockThe Byrchall High SchoolSt Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-MakerfieldHope Academy
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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from February 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2012 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
43.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 60% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 48% to 95% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 52% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.0
Avg class size
22.3
Infant (KS1)
23.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St James' Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
St James' Church of England 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 St. Helens
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James' Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James' Church of England Primary School 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
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 8 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
2 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
Your chances of a place at St James' Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at St James' Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James' Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James' Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James' Church of England Primary School.
- St. Helens publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St James' Church of England Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James' Church of England Primary School for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in St. Helens 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
77%
Available places
161 pupils
210 places
49 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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
2,180
Applications
1,809
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across St. Helens council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
16.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
161
Total Pupils
91
Boys
70
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
20.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,678
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,987
Per pupil
£1125k
Total funding
£105k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
11.6%
Persistent absence
155
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 James' Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about St James' Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at St James' Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 95% did so in maths.
What is St James' Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St James' Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St James' Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St James' Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, St. Helens allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St James' Church of England Primary School?
Classes at St James' Church of England Primary School average 23 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School has around 161 pupils on roll. 44% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James' Church of England Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St James' Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 11.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James' Church of England Primary School?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming St James' Church of England 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 James' Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St James' Church of England 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 James' Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 8 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School is at Lyme Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0NL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)