St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy
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St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy is a sponsored academy in St Helens for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 173 pupils and room for 232. About 13 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 2 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2022.
Victoria Road, Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, WA12 9RX01744 678357federationofstmarys.co.ukMrs Samantha Birchall headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 June 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
30 places were empty (17% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
In 2025 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2025. Every child who applied got a place.
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Primary | 60 | 49 | 90 | – all offered | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (18), emotional and mental health (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Other difficulty or disability (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Multi-sensory impairment (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 173 | 177 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 12% | 11% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 8% | 5% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 8% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 3.6% | 4.7% | 5.0% | 5.6% | 2.2% | 4.2% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 2.5% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 1.9% | 3.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.0% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 1.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 5.4% | 14.4% | 9.8% | 13.7% | 2.5% | 7.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 1.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for St Mary's Catholic Infant School, the school this one replaced in March 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy | Academy | 290 m | 219 | Requires improvement 2022 | 31 | Compare |
| Newton-le-Willows Primary School | Council | 470 m | 563 | Report card 2026 | 6 | Compare |
| The District CofE Primary School | Academy | 580 m | 365 | Good 2021 | 34 | Compare |
| St Peter's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 0.6 miles | 226 | No overall grade 2025 | 97 | Compare |
| Wargrave CofE Primary School | Church of England | 0.7 miles | 424 | No overall grade 2024 | 28 | Compare |
| Lyme Community Primary School | Council | 0.9 miles | 218 | No overall grade 2024 | 35 | Compare |
| St James' Church of England Primary School | Academy | 1.4 miles | 161 | Good 2023 | 43 | Compare |
| Haydock English Martyrs' Primary School | Catholic | 1.5 miles | 254 | Good 2024 | 42 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaves Primary School | Council | 4.1 miles | 233 | Good 2023 | 68 | Compare |
| St Bede's Catholic Infant School | Roman Catholic | 7.2 miles | 223 | Outstanding 2023 | 97 | Compare |
| St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 11.0 miles | 241 | No overall grade 2025 | 61 | Compare |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, West Derby | Church of England | 11.5 miles | 211 | Report card 2026 | 11 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 2 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 2% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 1 to 5. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 17% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well below | -1.70 | Ofsted grade, 4.3 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.35 | 2024/25; 111 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy scores 2 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 1 to 5, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy requires improvement at its last full inspection on 8 June 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How many pupils does St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy have?
173 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 232 places, so it is 75% full.
Is St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 30 places were empty in 2024/25 (17% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy?
Pupils were in school 96.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy?
The average class had 23.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Victoria Road, Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, WA12 9RX
- Telephone
- 01744 678357
- Website
- www.federationofstmarys.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Samantha Birchall
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Liverpool
- Multi-academy trust
- The Liverpool Joint Catholic and Church of England Academies Trust (11 schools)
- Local authority
- St. Helens
- Ward
- Newton-le-Willows West
- Constituency
- St Helens North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 March 2024 (new provision)
- URN
- 150505 · LAESTAB 3422002 · UKPRN 10094328
- Formerly
- St Mary's Catholic Infant School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: St. Helens council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2025.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.