Rainford CofE Primary School
Cross Pit Lane, Rainford, St Helens, WA11 8AJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- LIVERPOOL DIOCESAN SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Shawcross
- Diocese
- Diocese of Liverpool
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Liverpool
- Constituency
- St Helens North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 230
- URN
- 148365
- Local authority
- St. Helens
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01744883281
About this school
Rainford CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in St Helens. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 230 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Rainford CofE Primary School, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 28 September 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
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 | 42 | 43 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 64% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 10% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 83% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 71% | 70% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 85% | 74% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.10 | - | - |
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 Rainford CofE Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | St. Helens average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 60.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 64% | 60.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 60.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 263 |
| 2023/24 | 247 |
| 2024/25 | 239 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Rainford CofE Primary School compares
Rainford CofE Primary School ranked 18th of 52 primary schools in St. Helens for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 3.7% | 12.8% | 230 | — |
| Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School | 37% | 5.5% | 17.6% | 127 | 0.3 miles |
| Rainford Brook Lodge Community Primary School | 74% | 3.5% | 8.7% | 217 | 0.4 miles |
| Crawford Village Primary School | 92% | 2.9% | 5.6% | 79 | 2.0 miles |
| Little Digmoor Primary School | 32% | 10.5% | 67.2% | 138 | 2.6 miles |
| Bishop Martin Church of England Primary School | 65% | 6.8% | 57% | 189 | 2.7 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 12.81%
- English as an additional language
- 1.7%
- Overall absence
- 3.65%
- Persistent absence
- 6.91%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · St Helens
-
Rainford Brook Lodge Community Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · St Helens
-
Crawford Village Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Skelmersdale
-
Little Digmoor Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Skelmersdale
-
Bishop Martin Church of England Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Skelmersdale
Other schools in St Helens
Rainford CofE Primary School ranks 10th of the 36 ranked primary schools in St Helens.
- Ashurst Primary School Primary
- Bleak Hill Primary School Primary
- Broad Oak Community Primary School Primary
- Carr Mill Primary School Primary
- Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Primary
- Eaves Primary School Primary
- Eccleston Mere Primary School Primary
- Grange Valley Primary School Primary
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School Primary
- Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School Primary
- Legh Vale Primary School Primary
- Longton Lane Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Rainford CofE Primary School teach?
- Rainford CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in St Helens.
- Who is the headteacher of Rainford CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Rainford CofE Primary School is Mrs Emma Shawcross, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Rainford CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rainford CofE Primary School, 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 Rainford CofE Primary School?
- Rainford CofE Primary School has 230 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Rainford CofE Primary School full?
- Rainford CofE Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 230 on roll (73%), so it has space against 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 Rainford CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Rainford CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Liverpool.
- Does Rainford CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Rainford CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Rainford CofE Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Rainford CofE Primary School is part of LIVERPOOL DIOCESAN SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Rainford CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Rainford CofE Primary School compare with other schools in St. Helens?
- Rainford CofE Primary School ranked 18th of 52 primary schools in St. Helens for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rainford CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Rainford CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Rainford CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rainford CofE Primary School'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.