St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, St Helens

Good
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~711m)Possible (~1.0km)Unlikely (~1.3km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Anne-Louise Friar
Pupils:195 / 210 capacity
LA:St. Helens
Phone:01744678570
Address:Elton Head Road, Sutton Heath, St Helens, WA9 5BT
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:104812
UKPRN:10074991
Diocese:Archdiocese of Liverpool
Constituency:St Helens South and Whiston
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St John Vianney provides a warm, welcoming community where children thrive and feel valued. Staff are nurturing and responsive, with strong behaviour management and excellent pastoral support. The school successfully supports all learners, including those with additional needs, ensuring they access the full curriculum and develop confidence and independence.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils behave exceptionally well with high levels of respect for each other, staff and visitors
  • Strong attendance rates broadly in line with the national average through effective intervention and partnership with families
  • Excellent early years provision that gives children a successful start to their educational journey
  • Well-designed curriculum with subject experts overseeing improvement and pupils developing strong vocabulary
  • Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils, helping them access the same opportunities and develop a love of reading

Areas for Improvement

  • Teaching of phonics is not effective, requiring extra time for pupils to catch up with reading knowledge
  • Leaders' understanding of what is working well and what needs improvement is not deep enough to address all areas of development
  • Some pupils lack depth of knowledge about fundamental British values and protected differences in law
  • Governors do not always seek sufficient assurances about the impact of leaders' actions on education quality

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Sports clubs, music instrument lessons, local historical visits, singing at live events, rock band performances, school art exhibition

St John Vianney Catholic Primary School provides a welcoming and caring environment where pupils behave well, feel safe, and are proud to attend. The school meets expected standards across most areas, though leaders need to develop a deeper understanding of what is working well and what needs improvement.

At a Glance

23.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+12ppMaths+21ppWriting+15pp

Reading has improved from 71% to 83%. Maths has improved from 79% to 100%. Writing has improved from 68% to 83%.

Class Sizes

27.0

Avg class size

22.0

Infant (KS1)

29.5

KS2

3

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Thatto Heath Rail Station
1.2km · 19 min walk

Bus Stops

Elton Head Road (adj)
148m · 2 min walk
The Broads (adj)
207m · 3 min walk
Marleybone Avenue (adj)
247m · 4 min walk
Rossington Gardens (adj)
310m · 5 min walk
Welwyn Close (opp)
313m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

93%

Near capacity

195 pupils

210 capacity

15 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - St Helens

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,362
Projected new pupils:341

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for St Helens

Admissions Demand - St. Helens

Low demand0.79x oversubscription

Places available

2,195

Applications

1,726

Got 1st preference

93.9%

Got preferred school

99.2%

Primary admissions across St. Helens (2025/26)

Inspection History(107)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.15597%

Overall absence

13.55932%

Persistent absence

177

Enrolments

Authorised3.33804%
Unauthorised1.81793%
Persistent (10%+)13.55932%
Severe (50%+)1.12994%

Absence trend

4.82295%
18/19
3.2905%
20/21
6.34467%
21/22
5.7415%
22/23
5.45759%
23/24
5.15597%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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