St. Helens schools in numbers
How St. Helens's 78 schools compare with North West and England on every headline measure, with the council's rank out of the English councils that have data. Ranks run from best to worst for each measure (highest attendance first, lowest exclusions first, and so on).
Schools78open, all types
Pupils25,931on roll
Primary schools54
Secondary schools10
Who the pupils are
| Measure | St. Helens | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 70 schools | 27.9% | 29.0% | 26.3% | 79thof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 68 schools | 30.1% | 29.8% | 27.1% | 91stof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 70 schools | 7.6% | 16.7% | 18.6% | 132ndof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 73 schools | 16.3% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 20thof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 73 schools | 16.3% | 12.7% | 11.6% | 7thof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | St. Helens | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 62 schools | 25.8 | 24.9 | 25.0 | 108thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 62 schools | 13.3% | 11.5% | 10.6% | 128thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 68 schools | 19.3 | 19.1 | 19.0 | 96thof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 66 schools | 15.0% | 13.5% | 15.0% | 84thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 67 schools | £51,546 | £51,081 | £51,377 | 54thof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 65 schools | 5.7 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 142ndof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | St. Helens | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 65 schools | 93.8% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 67thof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 65 schools | 15.3% | 15.9% | 15.8% | 53rdof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 65 schools | 9.7 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 126thof 151 |
Money
| Measure | St. Helens | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 68 schools | £8,764 | £9,291 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 68 schools | £4,149 | £4,183 | £4,229 | 80thof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 69 schools | 6.5% | 6.6% | 8.3% | 97thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 69 schools | 13.0% | 15.2% | 14.1% | 67thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | St. Helens | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 7 schools | 36.6% | 42.3% | 46.1% | 142ndof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 7 schools | 43.8 | 45.3 | 47.0 | 122ndof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 52 schools | 62.7% | 61.3% | 63.1% | 87thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 52 schools | 7.9% | 7.1% | 8.3% | 79thof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | St. Helens | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 65 schools | 25% | 15% | 13% | 4thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 34 schools | 85% | 93% | 94% | 150thof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 61 schools | 28% | 32% | 35% | 108thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 61 schools | 88.5% | 88.5% | 86.2% | 59thof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 77 schools | 27% | 38% | 52% | 139thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 77 schools | 15.6% | 14.6% | 12.0% | 55thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
St. HelensEngland
Since 2016: -1.6%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
St. HelensEngland
Since 2019: +9.6%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
St. HelensEngland
Since 2017: +3.3%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
St. HelensEngland
Since 2016: +9.2%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
St. HelensEngland
Since 2007: +7.7