School profile

Rainford High School

Secondary · Academy converter · St Helens, WA11 8NY

Good

Map showing Rainford High School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#963 of 3,312

Better than 70% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

A-level 2024/25

#1,961 of 2,536

Worse than 77% of schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Rainford High School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 13 Jan 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Post-16 provision
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 18
Pupils1,646
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Ian Young
TrustEVERYONE MATTERS SCHOOLS TRUST
Local authoritySt. Helens
Opened01 Sept 2017
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 144327.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolSt. HelensEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.50.2, better than England, better than St. Helens43.646.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.76.3%, better than England, better than St. Helens61.2%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.55.1%, better than England, better than St. Helens41%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.14.6%, similar to England, better than St. Helens9.2%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths71.4%, better than England, better than St. Helens56.7%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4287--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolSt. HelensEngland
Average points per A-level entryA* is 60, A is 50, B is 40, C is 30, D is 20, E is 10.28.74, worse than England, worse than St. Helens36.6435
Average A-level gradeC--
Average points, best three A-levels31.03, worse than England, worse than St. Helens38.335.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsC--
AAB or better11.5%, worse than England, worse than St. Helens19.2%17.5%
A-level progress scoreCompared with students with similar GCSE results. 0 is average.-0.26, worse than England--
A-level progressBelow average, worse than England--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study137--
Average applied general gradeVocational qualifications, such as BTECs.Merit+--

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,646
Girls837
Boys809
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.15.7%
First language not English1.6%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,700
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.3.2%
Sixth form places2024/25250
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.306
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.170
Average class size22

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
94.3%
Other White
1.5%
White and Black African
0.7%
White and Asian
0.7%
Other mixed
0.6%
White and Black Caribbean
0.5%
Chinese
0.3%
Other ethnic group
0.3%
Irish
0.2%
Other Asian
0.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher17.1
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11
Teachers (FTE)96.09
Teaching assistants (FTE)40.86
Support staff (FTE)69.02
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2595
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2584.4
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/258.6

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.258
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.609
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.312
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.256
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)142

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSt. HelensEngland
Overall absence6.9%, better than England, better than St. Helens8.7%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.15.8%, better than England, better than St. Helens22.1%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.2.7%, better than England, better than St. Helens4.2%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate16.1%
Pupils with one or more suspensions6.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0.2%
Permanent exclusions4

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.95.2%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.88.2%
School sixth form32.2%
Sixth form college27.7%
Further education26.3%
Apprenticeship4.8%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.4.2%
Employment2.1%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.86.6%
Higher education48.7%
Employment26.9%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.12.6%
Apprenticeship9.2%
Further education1.7%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Rainford High School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimaryRainford Brook Lodge Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryCorpus Christi Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.4 miPrimaryRainford CofE Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.6 miPrimaryCrawford Village Primary SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding

Frequently asked questions about Rainford High School

What is Rainford High School's Ofsted rating?

Rainford High School is rated Good, last inspected on 13 Jan 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Rainford High School rank in England?

Rainford High School ranks 963 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 70% of schools) and 1,961 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (worse than 77% of schools).

What are Rainford High School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 55.1% of pupils at Rainford High School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 50.2 (England 46.2).

What are Rainford High School's A-level results?

In 2024/25, the average A-level grade at Rainford High School was C, and 11.5% of students got AAB or better (England 17.5%).

How hard is it to get into Rainford High School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Rainford High School made 258 offers from 609 applications (2.4 per offer), and 256 of 312 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Rainford High School?

Rainford High School has 1,646 pupils aged 11 to 18.

What is the capacity of Rainford High School?

Rainford High School had 1,700 school places in 2024/25.

Does Rainford High School have a sixth form?

Yes, Rainford High School has a sixth form with 250 places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Rainford High School?

At Rainford High School, the average class had 22 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 17.1 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Rainford High School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Rainford High School missed 6.9% of sessions (England 8%), and 15.8% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.