St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School, St Helens
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in St Helens, part of The Three Saints Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 36 schools in St Helens with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to St. Helens (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 74% in St. Helens and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 93% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School as their first choice and 82 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School are Holy Cross Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 64% reading, 56% maths); Queen's Park CofE/Urc Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths); Parish Church of England Primary School, St Helens (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 67% reading, 77% maths); and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Devon Street (0.6 miles, Good, 70% reading, 67% maths).
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Holy Cross Catholic Primary SchoolQueen's Park CofE/Urc Primary SchoolParish Church of England Primary School, St HelensSt Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Devon Street
The trust
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School is one of 5 schools run by The Three Saints Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
36 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 89% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (89%).
Who goes there
43% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 90 pupils (39.1%) received SEN support and 18 (7.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Helens Central Rail Station, about 880 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
22 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Asda (outside), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary & St Thomas 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.
In August 2026, police recorded 492 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in St. Helens (144), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 3.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School are Cowley International College (0.8 miles), De La Salle School (1.1 miles) and St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy (1.5 miles).
Cowley International CollegeDe La Salle SchoolSt Augustine of Canterbury Catholic 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a welcoming environment where pupils are respectful, kind and proud of their learning. Teaching is enthusiastic and expert, with staff skilfully helping pupils make connections between what they already know and new learning. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with additional needs, and provides exciting opportunities like trips to the opera, museums and historic landmarks to broaden their horizons.
Key Strengths
- Strong emphasis on reading with diverse author choices that promotes equality and tolerance
- Highly ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum that builds firm foundations across all areas
- Exceptional support for pupils with SEND who thrive alongside their peers
- Excellent pupil behaviour and conduct both in lessons and at playtime
- Strong personal development programme preparing pupils for life in modern Britain
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Opera trips, farm visits, local museum visits, residential trips to Buckingham Palace and Houses of Parliament, subject ambassador roles, school council, playground leader positions, before- and after-school clubs
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School has maintained the high standards it was previously judged outstanding for. The school provides an exceptionally ambitious curriculum with highly trained staff who inspire pupils to achieve remarkably well.
At a Glance
43.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
36 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 declined from 93% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 93% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
28.7
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School.
- Kip McGrath - St Helens480m away · Not yet graded
- Aspire Training Services Limited570m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary & St Thomas CofE 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
- 93
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 22
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 93 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 22 serious and 71 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
20 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 Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School.
- St. Helens publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School for 2016 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
96%
Near capacity
201 pupils
210 places
9 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
90
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
47.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
230
Total Pupils
123
Boys
107
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
23.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,891
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,064
Per pupil
£1470k
Total funding
£132k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
11.4%
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 & St Thomas CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2019, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary & St Thomas CofE 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 Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Classes at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School has around 230 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 11.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary & St Thomas 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 & St Thomas CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School: Kip McGrath - St Helens (480m away, registered, not yet graded) and Aspire Training Services Limited (570m 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 & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 93 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 22 serious and 71 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 20 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 Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School?
St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School is at Barton Close, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 2HS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)