St Damian's RC Science CollegeThe Hathershaw College
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
St Damian's RC Science College and The Hathershaw College are secondary schools.
St Damian's RC Science College scores 74 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and The Hathershaw College scores 48 out of 100 (grade D, below average). St Damian's RC Science College is ahead on our composite score.
St Damian's RC Science College was judged Outstanding and The Hathershaw College was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 56.0 for St Damian's RC Science College and 35.2 for The Hathershaw College.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at St Damian's RC Science College (55.0 in 2021-22, 56.0 in 2025-26) and has fallen at The Hathershaw College (45.8 in 2021-22, 35.2 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | Ashton-under-LyneSt Damian's RC Science College | OldhamThe Hathershaw College | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B74/100Stronger figure | D48/100 | |
| Local ranking | 2nd of 16 in Tameside | 9th of 14 in Oldham | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | Ofsted: Expected | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 829 | 1,034 | |
| Capacity | 825 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 8BH | Oldham, OL8 3EP | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 56.0 Stronger figure | 35.2 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 67.9% Stronger figure | 20.4% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 87.0% Stronger figure | 48.8% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 162 | 201 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 827 | 1,051 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 25.0% | 48.9% | |
| English as an additional language | 20.9% | 48.0% | |
| SEN support | 11.5% | 16.5% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.9% | 4.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.2% Stronger figure | 7.6% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 11.9% Stronger figure | 24.2% | 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
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.
St Damian's RC Science College
The Hathershaw College
Full profiles: St Damian's RC Science College · The Hathershaw College