St Aidan's CofE Primary School Billinge

About St Aidan's CofE Primary School Billinge

St Aidan's CofE Primary School Billinge is a smaller-than-average state primary in St. Helens, currently teaching 167 pupils against a capacity of 210. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 18.6%, which is slightly above the national primary average of around 23% but worth noting in the local context. Demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 38 applications for 21 places, with all 21 first-preference offers accepted, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.81. That suggests a solid local reputation, even though the school is not yet full to capacity. As a Church of England school, it has a religious character that may appeal to families seeking a faith-based setting, and it offers nursery provision for younger children. The headteacher is Rachel Fisher, who leads a mixed-gender primary for ages 4 to 11.

Academically, St Aidan's performs well above the local authority average in Key Stage 2 outcomes. In the 2023/24 results, 80% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a St. Helens average of 61%. That places the school 4th out of 47 primaries in the local authority and in the top 25% nationally. Individual subject scores are strong: average reading and maths scaled scores are 107 and 106 respectively, with 87% reaching the expected standard in both maths and writing. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects is just 3%, and writing at the higher level is only 7%, so stretch for the most able is an area to watch. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024 rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a drop from its previous Good rating in 2012. Leadership and management, quality of education, and early years provision were all judged as Requires Improvement, while behaviour and attitudes and personal development were rated Good.

The school offers a decent range of facilities including playing fields, a sports hall, music rooms, a gymnasium, an outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, swimming, netball, tennis, football, cricket and athletics, and there are clubs for art, choir and science. SEND support is well-documented, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. For families considering alternatives, the nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Garswood Primary and Nursery School, 2.2 km away. St Aidan's is a good fit for families who prioritise strong core academic results in a faith-based, oversubscribed school, but who are comfortable with a recent Ofsted downgrade and may want to monitor progress in leadership and early years.

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