St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy
Victoria Road, Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, WA12 9RX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE LIVERPOOL JOINT CATHOLIC AND CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Samantha Birchall
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Liverpool
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Dioceses of Liverpool Joint Catholic and Church of England Academy Trust
- Constituency
- St Helens North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 232
- Pupils on roll
- 173
- URN
- 150505
- Local authority
- St. Helens
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01744678357
About this school
St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in St Helens. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 173 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
This inspection took place when the school was registered as St Mary's Catholic Infant School (URN 104817).
Trends over time
How St Mary's Catholic Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
How St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy compares
Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.6% | 11.9% | 173 | — |
| St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy | 72% | 5.3% | 17.9% | 219 | 0.2 miles |
| Newton-le-Willows Primary School | 58% | 5.3% | 25.7% | 563 | 0.3 miles |
| The District CofE Primary School | 60% | 5.7% | 51.4% | 365 | 0.4 miles |
| St Peter's CofE Primary School | 83% | 2.7% | 10% | 226 | 0.6 miles |
| Wargrave CofE Primary School | 57% | 5.2% | 35.6% | 424 | 0.7 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)
- 11.92%
- English as an additional language
- 5.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.56%
- Persistent absence
- 5.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Newton-le-Willows
-
Newton-le-Willows Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Newton-le-Willows
-
The District CofE Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Newton-le-Willows
-
St Peter's CofE Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newton-le-Willows
-
Wargrave CofE Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Newton-le-Willows
Other 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 St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy teach?
- St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in St Helens.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy is Mrs Samantha Birchall, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Infant 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 St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy?
- St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy has 173 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy full?
- St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy has capacity for 232 pupils and 173 on roll (75%), 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 St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
- Does St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy part of an academy trust?
- St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy is part of THE LIVERPOOL JOINT CATHOLIC AND CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy's absence rate?
- St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.