St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School, Prescot
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Prescot. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 12 schools in Prescot with published results, and 10,359th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Knowsley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School in detail
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "At our school, we believe in celebrating both individual and whole-school achievements. By recognising the efforts of our children, families, and staff, we aim to create a positive and supportive environment where everyone feels valued. This approach helps us build strong relationships, promote inclusivity, and encourage children to develop a genuine love of learning."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Our school is a small and friendly one-form entry primary school situated near to the historic town of Prescot in Knowsley, Merseyside. As a school, our mission statement is “Life in all its fullness through Learning and Love”."
The school runs after-school care until 5:30pm.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Knowsley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 81% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School as their first choice and 42 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 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 Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School are St Luke's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Whiston Willis Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 70% reading, 74% maths); Halsnead Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 84% reading, 70% maths); and Prescot Primary School (0.7 miles).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School.
St Luke's Catholic Primary SchoolWhiston Willis Primary AcademyHalsnead Primary SchoolPrescot Primary School
Who goes there
51.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 10.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%), Asian (10%) and Black (8%).
In 2026, 57 pupils (24.8%) received SEN support and 22 (9.6%) 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.
Staffing
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Prescot Rail Station, about 330 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
24 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bryer Road (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School are Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy (0.8 miles) and The Prescot School (0.8 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a warm, inclusive school where children thrive. Reading is a real priority and pupils are taught phonics in a structured way from Reception onwards. The school excels at supporting children with additional needs, ensuring they are fully included and supported to succeed alongside their peers.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with all staff trained to teach it effectively and pupils making good progress
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, who are fully included in all aspects of school life
- Calm, purposeful classrooms where pupils behave well and try their best
- Broad, balanced curriculum that develops rich subject knowledge across all subjects
- Caring environment where pupils feel safe and celebrate each other's achievements
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects do not yet have clear identification of essential knowledge that pupils must learn and remember
- A small number of pupils do not attend school regularly enough, missing important learning experiences and enrichment activities
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective, with strong systems in place to log and monitor welfare concerns, staff trained in latest government guidance, and pupils learning how to keep themselves safe both locally and online.
Extracurricular Activities
Museum visits, theatre visits, local residential home visits, school council, church trips, reading buddy scheme, charity fundraising, careers interviews with different professionals
St Mary and St Paul's C of E Primary School is a welcoming school where pupils are happy, safe and achieve well. The school has been rated Good across all areas of inspection.
At a Glance
51.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 81% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 81% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 71% to 57% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
17.9
Avg class size
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School.
- Bloom Children's Day Nurseries and Out of School Clubs750m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Knowsley's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School is in Knowsley; for families living there:
Apply to Knowsley for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 10 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 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 Knowsley is 14 (the median across 63 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 Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School.
- Knowsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Knowsley 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
99%
Near capacity
208 pupils
210 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Prescot
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Prescot
Across Knowsley council
Places available
2,085
Applications
1,953
Got 1st preference
86.6%
Got preferred school
96.3%
All primary applications across Knowsley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
57
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
34.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
230
Total Pupils
111
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,897
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,532
Per pupil
£1557k
Total funding
£165k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.0%
Overall absence
32.1%
Persistent absence
184
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 Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2023.
What is the catchment area for St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School is oversubscribed, Knowsley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Classes at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School average 17.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School has around 230 pupils on roll. 52% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
9% of sessions were missed at St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 32.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Apply through Knowsley's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary and St Paul's CofE 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 Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School: Bloom Children's Day Nurseries and Out of School Clubs (750m away, 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 Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 10 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 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 Knowsley is 14 (the median across 63 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School?
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School is at Bryer Road, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 5DN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)