St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Nr Wigan
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Nr Wigan. It has a Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 52 schools in St. Helens with published results, and 637th of 14,452 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Mary's Catholic Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Our Mission Statement, (St Mary's School is a safe, inclusive and happy place, where we follow Jesus by living, loving, learning and working together) along with our Core Values (integrity, respect, nurture, creativity and celebration) truly underpin all that we say and do."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance and Lego.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 94% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 94% 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 100% in reading and 100% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put St Mary's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 42 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Catholic Primary School are Billinge Chapel End Primary School (0.3 miles, 73% reading, 80% maths); St Aidan's CofE Primary School Billinge (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 89% reading, 82% maths); Carr Mill Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 66% reading, 66% maths); and St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School (1.5 miles, Outstanding, 68% reading, 77% maths).
St Mary's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Billinge Chapel End Primary SchoolSt Aidan's CofE Primary School BillingeCarr Mill Primary SchoolSt Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School
Who goes there
6.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 22 pupils (12.4%) received SEN support and 5 (2.8%) 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 Garswood Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Holt Avenue (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 24 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in St. Helens (144).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Catholic Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's creates a welcoming, caring community where children feel safe and happy. The school excels at teaching reading and mathematics, with pupils becoming fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1. All children benefit from enriching activities that help them develop into thoughtful, respectful citizens prepared for life in modern Britain.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching of English and mathematics with careful checking of what pupils know and remember
- Excellent reading culture starting in Reception Year with high-quality books and well-trained phonics teaching
- Outstanding personal development opportunities helping pupils understand British values and healthy relationships
- Warm, welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued by staff
- Pupils take pride in being positive citizens through buddy systems, school choir performances, and fundraising
Areas for Improvement
- Some wider curriculum subjects lack detailed planning of key knowledge pupils should learn
- A very small number of pupils with SEND struggle to access learning because lesson activities are not consistently adapted to meet their needs
- Inconsistent curriculum adaptations for pupils with SEND mean their learning is sometimes insecure
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems and an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
School choir performances for local residents, fundraising for charities, buddy system, breakfast club, after-school provision
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is judged Good overall, with outstanding personal development provision. The school has ambitious curricula in English and mathematics where pupils achieve well, though some wider subjects need more detailed planning.
At a Glance
6.8%
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 100% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 100% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 94% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.3
Avg class size
23.7
Infant (KS1)
26.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Catholic 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
3 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's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Catholic Primary School.
- St. Helens publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mary's Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Catholic Primary School for 2014 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
87%
Available places
183 pupils
210 places
27 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Nr Wigan
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Nr Wigan
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(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
15.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
177
Total Pupils
97
Boys
80
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
19.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,781
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,042
Per pupil
£1012k
Total funding
£14k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
5.9%
Persistent absence
169
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 94% reached the expected standard in reading and 94% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2008 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic 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's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School average 25.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School has around 177 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 5.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Catholic 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 3 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's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is at St Mary's School, Birchley Road, Billinge, Nr Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7QJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)