Whiston Willis Primary Academy
Milton Avenue, Whiston, Prescot, L35 2XY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- WADE DEACON TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr IAN COOPER
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Wade Deacon Trust
- Constituency
- St Helens South and Whiston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 353
- Pupils on roll
- 419
- URN
- 145613
- Local authority
- Knowsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01514778270
About this school
Whiston Willis Primary Academy is a primary academy in Prescot. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 419 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Whiston Willis Primary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 41 | 43 | 46 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 77% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 12% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 88% | 81% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 77% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 60% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | 0.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Whiston Willis Primary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Knowsley average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 73% | 57.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 77% | 57.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 57.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 346 |
| 2023/24 | 361 |
| 2024/25 | 391 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Whiston Willis Primary Academy compares
Whiston Willis Primary Academy ranked 22nd of 48 primary schools in Knowsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 6.3% | 41.7% | 419 | — |
| St Luke's Catholic Primary School | 68% | 5.1% | 35.8% | 213 | 0.3 miles |
| Halsnead Primary School | 66% | 8.6% | 45.5% | 252 | 0.3 miles |
| St Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the Community | 74% | 5.6% | 43.6% | 229 | 0.4 miles |
| St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School | 47% | 9% | 56.2% | 230 | 0.5 miles |
| Prescot Primary School | — | — | — | 448 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
- 24 January 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report12 October 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 41.67%
- English as an additional language
- 6.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.28%
- Persistent absence
- 20.32%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Luke's Catholic Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Prescot
-
Halsnead Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Prescot
-
St Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the Community0.4 miles
Primary · Prescot
-
St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Prescot
-
Prescot Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Prescot
Other schools in Prescot
Whiston Willis Primary Academy ranks 8th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Prescot.
- Eccleston Lane Ends Primary School Primary
- Evelyn Community Primary School Primary
- Halsnead Primary School Primary
- Knowsley Village School Primary
- Oakdene Primary Academy Primary
- Our Lady's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Prescot Primary School Primary
- St Ann's Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School Primary
- St John Fisher Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the Community Primary
- St Luke's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Whiston Willis Primary Academy teach?
- Whiston Willis Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Prescot.
- Who is the headteacher of Whiston Willis Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Whiston Willis Primary Academy is Mr IAN COOPER, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Whiston Willis Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Whiston Willis Primary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Whiston Willis Primary Academy?
- Whiston Willis Primary Academy has 419 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Whiston Willis Primary Academy full?
- Whiston Willis Primary Academy has capacity for 353 pupils and 419 on roll (119%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Whiston Willis Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Whiston Willis Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Whiston Willis Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Whiston Willis Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Whiston Willis Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Whiston Willis Primary Academy is part of WADE DEACON TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Whiston Willis Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 73% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Whiston Willis Primary Academy compare with other schools in Knowsley?
- Whiston Willis Primary Academy ranked 22nd of 48 primary schools in Knowsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Whiston Willis Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Whiston Willis Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Whiston Willis Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Whiston Willis Primary Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.