Nutgrove Methodist Primary School
96%
Capacity
201
Pupils
2.8x
Demand
About Nutgrove Methodist Primary School
Nutgrove Methodist Primary School sits within the St. Helens local authority, a mixed state primary for children aged 4 to 11. Among the 47 primary schools in the borough, it ranks 16th, placing it in the top half locally. The three highest-ranked peers in the area are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, St Mary & St Thomas CofE Primary School, and St Aidan's CofE Primary School Billinge. The nearest school with an Outstanding Ofsted rating is Eccleston Lane Ends Primary School, about 2.1 kilometres away. Nutgrove itself has a Methodist religious character and is led by headteacher Louise Boardman. The school is nearly at full capacity with 201 pupils against a maximum of 210, and 17.9 per cent of its students are eligible for free school meals. It does not offer nursery provision or a sixth form.
In its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2025, Nutgrove was rated Requires Improvement across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This marks a significant change from its previous graded inspection in 2014, when it was judged Outstanding overall. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 70 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is above the St. Helens local authority average of 61 per cent. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was 17 per cent. In individual subjects, 80 per cent met expectations in maths, 70 per cent in reading, and 83 per cent in writing. Average scaled scores were 105 for maths and 104 for reading.
The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 84 applications for 30 places, with 33 of those as first preferences. Facilities include a dining hall, art studios, gymnasium, forest school, music rooms, outdoor playground, and a chapel. Sports on offer include swimming, netball, athletics, tennis, dance, and cross country, while clubs cover art, coding, chess, and film club. SEND provisions are listed for a range of needs including specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health, speech and language communication, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, show 68 per cent of respondents would recommend the school, though views on SEND support and concern-handling were more divided. This school may suit families who value a Methodist character and above-average KS2 results, but who are comfortable with a school currently working through an improvement journey.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 4 to 11 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Methodist |
| Address | Govett Road, St Helens, St. Helens, WA9 5NH |
| Headteacher | Louise Boardman |
| Local Authority | St. Helens |
| Number of Pupils | 201 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 17.9% |
| School Capacity | 201 / 210 (96% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
11 Feb 2025Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 26 Mar 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths (70%)
4160th of 13,686
Nationally
606th of 2,065
In North West
16th of 47
In St. Helens
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths data
KS2 SATs Results
2023/24Reading, Writing & Maths Combined
70%
Expected Standard
17%
Higher Standard
'22/23
58%
'23/24
70%
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. National expected standard benchmark is around 65%.
Ofsted Parent View
68 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
7Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
10Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed30
84
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
33 families put this school as their 1st choice (39% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Below the national average (25%).
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British84.1%
- Asian6.0%
- Mixed3.0%
- Black1.5%
- White (other)1.0%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Better than half of schools in England.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
6
Total schools
6
Oversubscribed
5
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Nutgrove Methodist Primary School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
Govett Road, St Helens
St. Helens, WA9 5NH
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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