Willow Tree Primary School
Willow Tree Avenue, Leach Lane, St Helens, WA9 4LZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE THREE SAINTS ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Michelle Slingsby
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Three Saints Academy Trust
- Constituency
- St Helens South and Whiston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 259
- Pupils on roll
- 172
- URN
- 150877
- Local authority
- St. Helens
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01744678730
About this school
Willow Tree Primary School is a primary academy in St Helens. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 172 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Willow Tree 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
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 Willow Tree Primary School (URN 104772).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 23% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 |
How Willow Tree Primary School compares
Willow Tree Primary School ranked 13th of 52 primary schools in St. Helens for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 8.3% | 44.7% | 172 | — |
| St Theresa's Catholic Primary School | 69% | 5.2% | 48.7% | 209 | 0.4 miles |
| Sherdley Primary School | 54% | 5.2% | 27.1% | 429 | 0.5 miles |
| Eaves Primary School | 79% | 4.9% | 23.6% | 233 | 0.7 miles |
| St Anne's Catholic Primary School | 35% | 6.7% | 33.3% | 265 | 0.8 miles |
| Sutton Manor Community Primary School | 47% | 6% | 42.7% | 209 | 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 44.69%
- English as an additional language
- 9.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.31%
- Persistent absence
- 27.16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Theresa's Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · St Helens
-
Sherdley Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · St Helens
-
Eaves Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · St Helens
-
St Anne's Catholic Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · St Helens
-
Sutton Manor Community Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · St Helens
Other schools in St Helens
Willow Tree Primary School ranks 7th 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 Willow Tree Primary School teach?
- Willow Tree Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in St Helens.
- Who is the headteacher of Willow Tree Primary School?
- The headteacher of Willow Tree Primary School is Miss Michelle Slingsby, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Willow Tree Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Willow Tree 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 Willow Tree Primary School?
- Willow Tree Primary School has 172 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Willow Tree Primary School full?
- Willow Tree Primary School has capacity for 259 pupils and 172 on roll (66%), 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 Willow Tree Primary School a faith school?
- No. Willow Tree Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Willow Tree Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Willow Tree Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Willow Tree Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Willow Tree Primary School is part of THE THREE SAINTS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does Willow Tree Primary School compare with other schools in St. Helens?
- Willow Tree Primary School ranked 13th of 52 primary schools in St. Helens for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Willow Tree Primary School's absence rate?
- Willow Tree Primary School's overall absence rate is 8.3% in the latest published census.
- What are Willow Tree Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Willow Tree 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 3 July 2026.