Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #7 in St. Helens public Top 36% UK

Cowley International College

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Cameron Sheeran

location_onSt Helens, WA10 6PN

language Visit Website phone 1744678030

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

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Students

1,463

trending_up

Attainment 8

39.3

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GCSE Rank

#7 in St. Helens

#2,634 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Cowley International College is a Community school secondary school in St Helens, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Cowley International College is a community school in St Helens, St. Helens, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,498 pupils on roll, of whom 42% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 39.3, placing the school #7 in St. Helens and #2,634 of 3,216 nationally. 30.40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 13.2% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 21 A-level subjects. 30.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 11.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.37 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.3:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 9 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 15.9 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

39.3

Grade 5+ E&M

30.40%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)13.2%

Entering EBacc53.30%

EBacc APS3.54

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.69

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc54.90%

EBacc APS3.64

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.77

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

39.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc46%

EBacc APS3.39

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS3.84

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc41%

EBacc APS3.71

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.3

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47%

EBacc APS3.81

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

84%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

86%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)13%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.37

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*1.3%

Achieving A*–A11.3%

Achieving A*–B30.5%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate81.6%

A-level subjects offered21

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.25

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate82.40%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate87.10%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate85.3%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

23 November 2021

Inspection Report

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12 October 2016

Inspection Report

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26 September 2013

Inspection Report

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23 November 2011

Inspection Report

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30 June 2010

Inspection Report

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08 December 2009

Inspection Report

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11 January 2007

Inspection Report

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13 January 2003

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2016-10-12

Maintained Academy and School Short inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2011-11-23

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

10.7%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.9%(74 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

3pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,498 pupils. During this period, there were 161 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 10.7%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,498	161	10.7%	7.3%	3
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,511	317	21.0%	7.8%	6
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,476	231	15.7%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,481	202	13.6%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,484	111	7.5%	8.2%	4
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,448	171	11.8%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,463	149	10.2%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,478	196	13.3%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,507	174	11.5%	4.7%	3
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,537	142	9.2%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,556	119	7.6%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,528	145	9.5%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,534	39	2.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,548	159	10.3%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,498	1	0.1%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,498	127	8.5%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,526	104	6.8%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,489	134	9.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,511	102	6.8%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,545	67	4.3%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,462	84	5.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,485	82	5.5%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,501	68	4.5%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,431	71	5.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,440	103	7.2%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,462	96	6.6%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 81 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 59 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 46 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 27 pupils

Physical Disability 21 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 19 pupils

Hearing Impairment 7 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

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Cowley International College

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in St. Helens

Rainford High School

Rainhill High School

Hope Academy

The Sutton Academy

St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy

Outwood Academy Haydock