Cowley International CollegeRainford High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in St Helens.
Summary of the comparison
Cowley International College and Rainford High School are secondary schools in St Helens.
Cowley International College scores 39 out of 100 (grade F, weak) and Rainford High School scores 61 out of 100 (grade C, average). Rainford High School is ahead on our composite score.
Cowley International College was judged in need of attention and Rainford High School was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 39.3 for Cowley International College and 50.6 for Rainford High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Cowley International College (46.6 in 2021-22, 39.3 in 2024-25) and has fallen at Rainford High School (53.4 in 2021-22, 50.6 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | St HelensCowley International College | St HelensRainford High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | F39/100 | C61/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 7th of 9 in St Helens | 1st of 9 in St Helens Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Needs attention | Ofsted: ExpectedStronger figure | |
| School type | Community school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,498 | 1,675 | |
| Capacity | 1,620 | 1,650 | |
| Location | St Helens, WA10 6PN | St Helens, WA11 8NY | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 39.3 | 50.6 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 30.4% | 56.2% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 48.3% | 78.1% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 53.3% Stronger figure | 47.7% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.54 | 4.43 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 240 | 283 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 73 | 96 | |
| A-level average points | 25.3 | 28.7 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C- | C | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 27.6 | 31.0 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 6.5% | 11.5% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,498 | 1,675 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 41.9% | 15.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 7.1% | 2.0% | |
| SEN support | 17.0% | 17.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.5% | 8.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 12.6% | 6.5% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 30.1% | 16.6% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Cowley International College
Rainford High School
Full profiles: Cowley International College · Rainford High School