Cowley International College
Community school · sixth form · 1,514 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.3
Academy converter
Rainhill High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,535of 1,550 places
- Free school meals
- 16.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 291
- Ofsted
- Good, 22 February 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Rainhill High School (URN 104830, until 1 March 2017).
What the data says
Of the 294 pupils who finished Year 11 at Rainhill High School in 2023, 20% stayed on in Rainhill High School’s own sixth form (St. Helens average 18%), 30% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 36% of leavers went to one, roughly twice the England rate of 13%.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 21% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
Among the 174 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 34% went to university (St. Helens 31%, England 37%), and 17% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in St. Helens and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Rainhill High School | St. Helens | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 294 | 1,990 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 88% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 86% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 20% | 18% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 36% | 25% | 13% |
| — further education college | 30% | 37% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 4% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Rainhill High School | St. Helens | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 174 | 2,392 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 85% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 34% | 31% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 17% | 17% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 28% | 27% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 11% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Rainhill High School | St. Helens | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.9 | 41.8 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 41% | 36% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 57% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 39% | 34% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.87 | 3.59 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 20% | 31% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 36.6 | 30.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.2 | 47.0 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 5% | 5% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 291 | 100% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 72% |
| English Language | 291 | 100% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 70% |
| English Literature | 287 | 99% | 86% | 16% | 21% | 66% |
| Combined Science | 180 | 62% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 46% |
| History | 145 | 50% | 41% | 25% | 26% | 63% |
| Geography | 112 | 38% | 41% | 21% | 25% | 62% |
| Biology | 109 | 37% | 23% | 26% | 45% | 83% |
| Chemistry | 106 | 36% | 23% | 22% | 47% | 81% |
| Physics | 106 | 36% | 23% | 21% | 46% | 82% |
| Photography | 61 | 21% | 6% | 28% | 19% | 80% |
| French | 51 | 18% | 18% | 18% | 29% | 71% |
| Computer Science | 46 | 16% | 13% | 11% | 30% | 54% |
| Graphic Communication | 43 | 15% | 1% | 12% | 23% | 77% |
| Religious Studies | 42 | 14% | 31% | 17% | 32% | 69% |
| Physical Education | 42 | 14% | 11% | 26% | 24% | 81% |
| Spanish | 41 | 14% | 19% | 24% | 27% | 83% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 37 | 13% | 8% | 11% | 21% | 54% |
| German | 35 | 12% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 69% |
| Textiles | 23 | 8% | 2% | 13% | 27% | 87% |
| Business Studies | 21 | 7% | 18% | 14% | 20% | 81% |
| Fine Art | 16 | 5% | 9% | 25% | 28% | 88% |
| Design and Technology | 14 | 5% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 50% |
| Art and Design | 2 | 1% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Sociology | 1 | 0% | 4% | — | 21% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 50 | 98% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 33 | 65% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 33 | 65% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 33 | 65% | — |
| Dance: General | 32 | 63% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 23 | 45% | — |
| Sports Studies | 23 | 45% | — |
| Health Studies | 17 | 33% | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | 9 | 18% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 1 | 2% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Rainhill High School | St. Helens | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 330 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 51 | 945 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.33 | 36.64 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 12 | 24% | 31% |
| Photography | 11 | 22% | 3% |
| Graphic Communication | 8 | 16% | 2% |
| Psychology | 8 | 16% | 23% |
| English Language | 7 | 14% | 4% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Law | — | — | 4% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Sociology | — | — | 13% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports / Movement Science | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 25 | 49% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 16 | 31% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 31% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 13 | 25% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 12 | 24% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 20% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 14% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in St. Helens
De La Salle School
Academy sponsor led · 1,180 pupils
85% stayed in education
Hope Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,235 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.8
Outwood Academy Haydock
Academy sponsor led · 791 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.2
Rainford High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,646 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.6
St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy
Academy sponsor led · 549 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.6
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.