St James' Church of England Primary School
St James' Church of England Primary School is an academy converter in St Helens for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has a Church of England religious character. It has 161 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St James' Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2017 of its predecessor, St James' Church of England Primary School. In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: March 2023. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Lyme Street Haydock St Helens Merseyside WA11 0NL |
| Phone | 01744678545 |
| Reference Number | 146429 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 161 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 56.52%
Girls: 43.48% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 43.5% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 11.8% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 23 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 22.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 23.5 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| 2 | 17 | 9 | 26 |
| 3 | 8 | 13 | 21 |
| 4 | 18 | 11 | 29 |
| 5 | 12 | 11 | 23 |
| 6 | 15 | 6 | 21 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 78.3% |
| African | 6.2% |
| Asian, Other | 5.6% |
| White, Other | 4.3% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.5% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.9% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, St James' Church of England Primary School, inspected in February 2017.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 02 Feb 2023 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 02 Feb 2023 | School inspection |
| 11 Oct 2018 | Academy conversion letter |
| 21 Feb 2017 | Short inspection |
| Previously as St James' Church of England Primary School | |
| 01 Feb 2012 | Full inspection: |
| 21 Oct 2009 | Full inspection: |
| 29 Jun 2009 | Monitoring visit |
| 23 Mar 2009 | Monitoring visit |
| 13 Nov 2008 | Monitoring visit |
| 25 Jun 2008 | Monitoring visit |
| 20 Feb 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 14 Sep 2006 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 04 May 2004 | Full inspection |
Ofsted Parent View
The latest published parent view scores are from 2019. Ofsted only publish scores if there have been more than 10 responses to the survey.
| Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | Don't Know | Total Responses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. My child is happy at this school. | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2. My child feels safe at this school. | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 3. The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved. | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 4. My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively. | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 5. The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year. | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 6. When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly. | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 7. My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed. | ||||||
| 8. The school has high expectations for my child. | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| 9. My child does well at this school. | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 10. The school lets me know how my child is doing. | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 11. There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school. | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 12. My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school. | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 13. The school supports my child’s wider personal development. | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| 14. I would recommend this school to another parent. | 5 | 6 |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 65% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 5% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 105 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 107 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -1.8 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | -0.7 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | -1.4 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
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See how St James' Church of England Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 12 | 6 |
| Third Preference | 7 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St James' Church of England Primary School had 161 pupils for 210 places. 49 places (23.3%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Haydock Primary” planning area
St. Helens counted 119 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 146 in 2029–30, up 23%.
| 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 |
| Pupils | 180 | 158 | 161 | 161 | 171 | 161 |
| Unfilled | 14.3% | 24.8% | 23.3% | 23.3% | 18.6% | 23.3% |
Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.
In 2024–25 pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.0% | 4.9% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 2.9% |
| Unauthorised absence | 2.0% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.3% | 3.2% |
Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.
In 2024–25, 1.2% of pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 1.6 | 0.0 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 1.2 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.
In 2025–26 St James' Church of England Primary School had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 8.8 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 9.6 | 10.0 | 11.2 | 9.7 | 10.5 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 9.1% | 22.8% | 29.1% | 18.9% | 11.6% | 0.0% | 18.6% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 69.2% | – | 38.5% | 45.5% | 22.2% | 22.2% | 20.0% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 5.0 | – | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | – |
Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.
In 2025–26, 9.3% of pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Social, emotional and mental health | 7 | 4 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 6 | 5 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 1 | 1 |
| Hearing impairment | 0 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 1 | 0 |
Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.
In 2024–25 St James' Church of England Primary School received £8,741 and spent £8,802 for each of its 161 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £55,000 (-£341 per pupil).
Across all 18 schools of Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust, income was £7,382 and spending £7,357 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £194,000 | £159,000 | £97,000 | £54,000 | £1,000 | -£55,000 |
| per pupil | £1,150 | £1,001 | £597 | £337 | £6 | -£341 |
| In-year balance | -£39,000 | -£27,000 | -£20,000 | -£34,000 | -£55,000 | -£10,000 |
| per pupil | -£232 | -£172 | -£123 | -£214 | -£314 | -£60 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.
| Name | Distance |
|
Haydock English Martyrs' Primary School
Piele Road, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0JY |
0.14 miles |
|
Grange Valley Primary School
Heyes Avenue, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0XQ |
0.42 miles |
|
Lyme Community Primary School
Lyme Street, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9HD |
0.77 miles |
|
Legh Vale Primary School
Legh Road, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0ER |
0.96 miles |
|
The District CofE Primary School
Patterson Street, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9PZ |
1.24 miles |
|
St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy
Barn Way, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9QQ |
1.35 miles |
|
St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy
Victoria Road, Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, Merseyside, WA12 9RX |
1.39 miles |
|
Broad Oak Community Primary School
Brunswick Street, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 2JE |
1.61 miles |
|
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
Brunswick Street, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 2JE |
1.62 miles |
|
Newton-le-Willows Primary School
Sanderling Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9UF |
1.68 miles |
|
St Oswald's Catholic Primary School
Council Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9AZ |
1.69 miles |
|
Garswood Primary and Nursery School
Hamilton Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0SF |
1.72 miles |
|
R L Hughes Primary School
Mayfield Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9QL |
1.74 miles |
|
St. Mary's Blackbrook Catholic Primary School
Chain Lane, Blackbrook, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9QY |
1.82 miles |
|
Wargrave CofE Primary School
Bradlegh Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8QL |
1.9 miles |
|
Ashurst Primary School
New Glade Hill, Off Chain Lane, Blackbrook, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9QJ |
1.94 miles |
|
St Peter's CofE Primary School
Birley Street, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 9UR |
1.97 miles |
|
St Thomas CofE Primary School
Hodnet Drive, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8PQ |
2.01 miles |
|
Burtonwood Community Primary School
Green Lane, Burtonwood, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 4AQ |
2.16 miles |
|
Rectory CofE Primary School
Rectory Road, North Ashton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 0QF |
2.21 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Outwood Academy Haydock
Clipsley Lane, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0JG |
0.66 miles |
|
Willow Bank School
Winwick Road, St Helens, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8DE |
1.19 miles |
|
The Byrchall High School
Warrington Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PQ |
1.34 miles |
|
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Rookery Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PF |
1.42 miles |
|
Hope Academy
Ashton Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 0AQ |
1.56 miles |
|
St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy
Boardmans Lane, Blackbrook, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9BB |
1.92 miles |
|
Cansfield High School
Old Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9TP |
1.99 miles |
|
Lansbury Bridge School
Lansbury Avenue, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 1TB |
2.01 miles |
|
Mill Green School
Lansbury Avenue, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 1BU |
2.04 miles |
|
Wargrave House School
449 Wargrave Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8RS |
2.11 miles |
|
Learn 4 Life School
64a Rectory Road, Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN4 0QD |
2.18 miles |
|
St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy
Berrys Lane, Sutton, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3HE |
2.25 miles |
|
Martha H School
Downall Green Road, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 0LZ |
2.41 miles |
|
Progress Arc Billinge School
Carr Mill Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7TT |
2.64 miles |
|
Landgate School, Bryn
Landgate Lane, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Bryn, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN4 0EP |
2.84 miles |
|
This Is My Education - TIME
Logic House, Central Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1UD |
3.1 miles |
|
Golborne High School
Lowton Road, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3EL |
3.23 miles |
|
St Helens College
Water Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1PP |
3.41 miles |
|
Cowley International College
Hard Lane, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 6PN |
3.64 miles |
|
Hope School
Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN3 6SP |
3.72 miles |
All schools in St Helens · St. Helens local authority: places and applications
St James' Church of England Primary School is part of Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:
- Parish Church of England Primary School, St Helens St Helens
- St Paul's Church of England Primary School Wigan
- St Philip (Westbrook) CofE Primary School Warrington
- Highfield St Matthew's Church of England Primary School Wigan
- St James' Church of England Primary School Wigan
- Rainford CofE Primary School St Helens
- Bishop Martin Church of England Primary School Skelmersdale
- Cronton Church of England Primary Academy Widnes
- Glazebury Church of England Primary School Warrington
- Huyton With Roby Church of England Primary School Liverpool
What is St James' Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St James' Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2017 of its predecessor, St James' Church of England Primary School.
When was St James' Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
St James' Church of England Primary School was last inspected in March 2023.
How many pupils does St James' Church of England Primary School have?
St James' Church of England Primary School has 161 pupils on roll.
What age range does St James' Church of England Primary School cover?
St James' Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are St James' Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School is at Lyme Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0NL.