Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

About Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in St. Helens is a school that local parents clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 30 applications for just 16 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.88. Every one of those 16 first-preference applicants was offered a spot, which suggests that families who put it top of their list are very likely to get in. The school doesn't publish a parent recommendation percentage, so we can't quote a figure there, but the demand speaks for itself. With 206 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, the school is running nearly full, and its nursery provision means children can join from age three. The headteacher is Sinead Walsh, and the school's Roman Catholic character will naturally appeal to families seeking a faith-based primary education in the St. Helens area.

Academically, Holy Cross is a solidly Good school, a rating it earned in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021. That's a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2017, when it was rated Requires Improvement across the board. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 52% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That's below the St. Helens local authority average of 61%, and it places the school 35th out of 47 primaries in the borough. The average maths score was 100, and reading averaged 103. At the higher standard, 24% of pupils achieved that level in reading, 16% in writing, and just 4% in maths. The school's national ranking puts it in the bottom half of primaries, but the Ofsted report notes Good ratings for behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, all of which matter a great deal to parents.

The school offers a decent range of facilities including an art studio, library, ICT suite, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, swimming, cross country and dance, while after-school clubs include book club, art club, gardening and coding. For families with children who have additional needs, Holy Cross has SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Parish Church of England Primary School, just 0.1 km away, which may be worth a look for families who prioritise top Ofsted grades. Holy Cross is best suited to Catholic families in St. Helens who value a faith setting and a school that has shown clear improvement, even if its academic outcomes are currently below the local average.

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