SCHOOL PROFILE

Rainford High School

Secondary Academy converter URN 144327
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,650 Published school capacity
Capacity used 99.8% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

13 January 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

15 September 2021
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 18 October 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority St. Helens
Trust EVERYONE MATTERS SCHOOLS TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,646 1,646 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 837 50.9% of pupils
Male pupils 809 49.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

15.7%
9.1 pts below England
School 15.7%
St. Helens 27.1%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

1.6%
18.7 pts below England
School 1.6%
St. Helens 7.0%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

3.2%
2.2 pts above England
School 3.2%
St. Helens 2.1%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
94.3%
1,553
Any other White background
1.5%
24
White and Asian
0.7%
12
White and Black African
0.7%
12
Any other Mixed background
0.6%
10
Unclassified
0.5%
8
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 28.9% 476 of 1,646 pupils
8.1 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 28.9%
St. Helens 25.1%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 18.6% 306 pupils
England 14.8% 3.8 pts above
EHC plans 10.3% 170 pupils
England 6.0% 4.3 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 155
Social, emotional & mental health 109
Autistic spectrum disorder 83
Moderate learning difficulty 45
No specialist assessment yet 27
Speech, language & communication 23

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

50.6 11.4 pts above England
School 50.6
St. Helens 29.9
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 56.2% England 36.0% 20.2 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 78.1% England 51.4% 26.7 pts above England
EBacc entry 47.7% England 30.6% 17.1 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.43 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.03 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.50%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.28 pts higher than England
School 6.50%
St. Helens 6.15%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

16.64%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.83 pts higher than England
School 16.64%
St. Helens 15.29%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.67%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.87 pts higher than England
School 2.67%
St. Helens 1.80%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

99.8% 7.4 pts above England
Rainford High School
99.8%
St. Helens
92.0%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information