Whiston Willis Primary Academy

About Whiston Willis Primary Academy

Whiston Willis Primary Academy is a primary school in Prescot, Knowsley, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 391 pupils aged 3 to 11 attend the school. The school holds an 'Outstanding' judgement from Ofsted. 63% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2, broadly in line with the national average (national figure: 61%). The proportion reaching the expected standard has fallen by 14.0 percentage points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 104 in reading and 103 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 2% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). 94% of the families who made Whiston Willis Primary Academy their first choice were offered a Reception place for September 2026, even though the school made at least as many offers as it had first choices - the rest withdrew, moved or fell outside a priority group. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 1.61 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. Overall pupil absence was 6.5%. There are about 21.6 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 42% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. Given the recent dip in results, it may be worth asking the school what is behind the change and what is being done in response. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.