Wargrave CofE Primary School, Newton-le-Willows
Wargrave CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Newton-le-Willows. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 6 schools in Newton-le-Willows with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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
Wargrave CofE Primary School in detail
Wargrave CofE Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "It is important at Wargrave to therefore be truthful, in the image of Christ. Friendship: Jesus valued friendship in others; there are 140 references to friends and friendship in the Bible! Respect: the second greatest commandment teaches us about respect. It is woven into the Old Testament (Leviticus) and the New Testament (gospels):"
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils at Wargrave CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 74% 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 70% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Wargrave CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 53 families put Wargrave CofE Primary School as their first choice and 93 named it as one of their preferences, for 57 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 Wargrave CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Wargrave CofE Primary School are Newton-le-Willows Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 74% reading, 73% maths); St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy (0.6 miles, 81% reading, 81% maths); The District CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, 77% reading, 71% maths); and St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy (0.7 miles).
Wargrave CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Newton-le-Willows Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Junior AcademyThe District CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Infant Academy
What parents say
55 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Wargrave CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).
Who goes there
5.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 86 pupils (20.3%) received SEN support and 47 (11.1%) 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.
Wargrave CofE Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 16 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Earlestown Rail Station, about 630 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Catherine Way (adjacent), 70 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wargrave CofE Primary School issued 50 suspensions, 11.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2017, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Wargrave provides a nurturing environment where all pupils, including those with additional needs, thrive and develop strong relationships with caring adults. The school excels at teaching early reading skills and uses careful assessment to quickly identify and support any pupils who fall behind. Enrichment activities like theatre trips, museum visits and community involvement help bring learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on early reading with most pupils becoming fluent readers by end of Year 2
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who are nurtured and achieve well from their starting points
- Well-designed curriculum in most subjects with good use of assessment to identify and address gaps in learning
- Strong school culture with positive pupil behaviour, good attendance and warm relationships between pupils and adults
- Enriching trips, clubs and community involvement that enhance pupils' learning and development
Areas for Improvement
- Handwriting and grammar expectations are not consistently high enough across all subjects, with some pupils not forming letters accurately by end of Year 2
- In a few subjects, the exact knowledge pupils should learn is not clearly identified, making it harder for teachers to plan meaningful learning activities
- Need to refine expectations around handwriting and grammar skills from early years onwards to support writing fluency in later years
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Theatre trips by train, local museum visits, cooking club, photography club, cricket club, singing at local care homes, rugby tournament hosting, breakfast and after-school clubs
Wargrave C of E Primary School is a good school where pupils thrive in a calm, friendly atmosphere underpinned by values of truth, friendship and respect. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for their next stages of education.
At a Glance
31.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
55 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 improved from 70% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 70% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.0
Avg class size
23.2
Infant (KS1)
23.5
KS2
15
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Wargrave CofE Primary School
Newsletter 2026-2027 - Friday 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter 2026-2027 - Friday 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter 2026-2027 - Friday 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
Newsletters 2025-2026 - Friday 17th July 2026
17 Jul 2026
Newsletters 2025-2026 - Friday 3rd July 2026
3 Jul 2026
Newsletters 2025-2026 - Friday 12th December 2025
12 Dec 2025
From Wargrave CofE Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Wargrave CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Wargrave CofE 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wargrave CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wargrave 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
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 8 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
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 Wargrave CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Wargrave CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wargrave CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wargrave CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wargrave CofE Primary School.
- St. Helens publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Wargrave CofE Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wargrave CofE 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
93%
Near capacity
372 pupils
400 places
28 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Newton-le-Willows
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Newton-le-Willows
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(12)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
86
SEN Support
47
EHC Plans
31.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Wargrave CofE Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 16 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
424
Total Pupils
217
Boys
207
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
19.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,111
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,588
Per pupil
£2364k
Total funding
£188k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
13.5%
Persistent absence
327
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
Wargrave CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about Wargrave CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Wargrave CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Wargrave CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74% reached the expected standard in reading and 74% did so in maths.
What is Wargrave CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Wargrave CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2017, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Wargrave CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Wargrave 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 Wargrave CofE Primary School?
Wargrave CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 400 places.
How big are the classes at Wargrave CofE Primary School?
Classes at Wargrave CofE Primary School average 23 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Wargrave CofE Primary School?
Wargrave CofE Primary School has around 424 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Wargrave CofE Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Wargrave CofE Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 16 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Wargrave CofE Primary School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Wargrave CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 13.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wargrave CofE Primary School?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming Wargrave 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 Wargrave CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Wargrave CofE 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 Wargrave CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 8 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 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 Wargrave CofE Primary School?
Wargrave CofE Primary School is at Bradlegh Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8QL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)