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Willow Tree Primary School

Primary Ages 3-11 172 pupils St Helens
Ofsted: Requires Improvement
All schools in St Helens

Willow Tree Primary School is an academy converter in St Helens for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 172 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Willow Tree Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2022 of its predecessor, Willow Tree Primary School. In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Suspensions are common here, with 6 in every 100 pupils suspended at least once in 2024/25 (nationally, 1.1). Teacher turnover is high, with about 46% of its teachers gone within a year (in 2024/25; nationally, 16%).

Ofsted inspection: September 2024. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Primary / Academy converter
Age Range 3-11
Religion Does not apply
Address Willow Tree Avenue
Leach Lane
Sutton Leach
St Helens
Merseyside
WA9 4LZ
Phone 01744678730
Reference Number 150877

General Makeup

Number of pupils 172
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 52.91%
Girls: 47.09%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 55.3%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 15.1%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 21.3
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 20.3
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 25.8

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 19 8 27
2 18 4 22
3 8 13 21
4 12 13 25
5 14 18 32
6 10 15 25

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 82%
African 4.1%
White & Black (African) 2.3%
White, Other 1.7%
Mixed, Other 1.7%
Pakistani 1.7%
Unclassified 1.2%
Chinese 0.6%
White & Asian 0.6%

This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Willow Tree Primary School, inspected in July 2022.

Overall Ofsted Rating Requires Improvement
Last Report Date This school has not had an inspection yet.
Date Report
05 Sep 2024 Academy conversion letter

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 73%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 23%

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 110
Maths 108
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Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 12 0
Third Preference 16 0
From another Local Authority 1 0

Previous years

Sample

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Willow Tree Primary School had 172 pupils for 315 places. 143 places (45.4%) were unfilled.

Reception intake in the “Sutton Primary” planning area

St. Helens counted 266 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 226 in 2029–30, down 15%.

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 Willow Tree Primary School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 27.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

2025
Authorised absence 4.6%
Unauthorised absence 3.7%
Severely absent pupils 1.9%

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, 6.0% of pupils at Willow Tree Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 13.0
Permanent exclusions 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 Willow Tree Primary School had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 46.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

20252026
Pupils per adult 8.410.1
Teachers who left state teaching 23.3%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 33.3%–
Sick days per teacher 1.3–

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, 31.4% of pupils at Willow Tree Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Speech, language and communication needs 24 4
Social, emotional and mental health 15 0
Specific learning difficulty 5 1
No specialist assessment of need 5 0
Moderate learning difficulty 4 0
Other difficulty or disability 1 0
Severe learning difficulty 0 1

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 Willow Tree Primary School received £8,656 and spent £7,956 for each of its 184 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £371,000 (£2,024 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of The Three Saints Academy Trust, income was £8,264 and spending £8,305 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2025
Revenue reserve £371,000
per pupil £2,024
In-year balance £129,000
per pupil £701

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
St Theresa's Catholic Primary School
Cannon Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 4XU
0.43 miles
Sherdley Primary School
Mill Lane, Sutton, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 4HA
0.48 miles
Eaves Primary School
Eaves Lane, Marshalls Cross, Eaves Primary School, Eaves Lane, St Helens, Wa9 3ub, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3UB
0.7 miles
St Anne's Catholic Primary School
Monastery Lane, Sutton, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3SP
0.79 miles
Sutton Manor Community Primary School
Forest Road, Sutton Manor, Forest Road, st Helens, Merseyside, WA9 4AT
0.88 miles
Robins Lane Community Primary School
Kinmel Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3NF
1.23 miles
Sutton Oak CofE Primary School
Goodban Street, Sutton, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3QD
1.29 miles
St John Vianney Catholic Primary School
Elton Head Road, Sutton Heath, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 5BT
1.48 miles
Rainhill Community Nursery
Deepdale Drive, Prescot, L35 4NW
1.78 miles
St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School
School Lane, Rainhill, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 6NN
1.79 miles
Allanson Street Primary School
Gaskell Street, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, Merseyside, WA9 1PL
1.87 miles
Thatto Heath Community Primary School
Hobart Street, Thatto Heath, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 5QX
1.94 miles
Oakdene Primary Academy
Ashton Avenue, Rainhill, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 0QQ
2.08 miles
Nutgrove Methodist Primary School
Govett Road, Nutgrove, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 5NH
2.08 miles
St Austin's Catholic Primary School
Heath Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 5NJ
2.1 miles
St Ann's Church of England Primary School
View Road, Rainhill, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 0LQ
2.15 miles
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
Brunswick Street, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 2JE
2.23 miles
Broad Oak Community Primary School
Brunswick Street, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 2JE
2.29 miles
St Paul of the Cross Catholic Primary School
Milnthorpe Road, Chapel Lane, St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Primary School, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 4PN
2.43 miles
Longton Lane Community Primary School
Longton Lane, Rainhill, St Helens, Merseyside, L35 8PB
2.43 miles
Name Distance
Ash Meadow School
Jubits Lane, St Helens, WA9 4RT
0.51 miles
The Sutton Academy
Elton Head Road, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 5AU
0.8 miles
St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy
Berrys Lane, Sutton, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3HE
1.66 miles
Rainhill High School
Warrington Road, Rainhill, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 6NY
1.76 miles
Lansbury Bridge School
Lansbury Avenue, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 1TB
2.05 miles
Mill Green School
Lansbury Avenue, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 1BU
2.07 miles
Tower College
Mill Lane, Prescot, L35 6NE
2.1 miles
St Helens College
Water Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1PP
2.45 miles
Great Sankey High School
Barrow Hall Lane, Great Sankey, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 3AA
2.63 miles
St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy
Boardmans Lane, Blackbrook, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 9BB
2.65 miles
This Is My Education - TIME
Logic House, Central Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1UD
2.68 miles
Carmel College
Prescot Road, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 3AG
2.79 miles
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy
Cumber Lane, Whiston, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 2XG
2.86 miles
Willow Bank School
Winwick Road, St Helens, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 8DE
3 miles
Wade Deacon High School
Birchfield Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 7TD
3.28 miles
De La Salle School
Mill Brow, Eccleston, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA10 4QH
3.29 miles
Cowley International College
Hard Lane, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 6PN
3.42 miles
Outwood Academy Haydock
Clipsley Lane, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA11 0JG
3.45 miles
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School
Highfield Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 7DW
3.46 miles
The Raise Academy
Naylor Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 0BS
3.51 miles

All schools in St Helens · St. Helens local authority: places and applications

Willow Tree Primary School is part of The Three Saints Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

What is Willow Tree Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willow Tree Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2022 of its predecessor, Willow Tree Primary School.

When was Willow Tree Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willow Tree Primary School was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Willow Tree Primary School have?

Willow Tree Primary School has 172 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willow Tree Primary School cover?

Willow Tree Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Willow Tree Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willow Tree Primary School?

Willow Tree Primary School is at Willow Tree Avenue, Leach Lane, Sutton Leach, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 4LZ.

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