Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #4 in St. Helens public Top 29% UK

The Sutton Academy

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

personMr Paul Willerton

corporate_fareTHE SUTTON ACADEMY

location_onSt Helens, WA9 5AU

language Visit Website phone 1744678859

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

1,414

trending_up

Attainment 8

43.1

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GCSE Rank

#4 in St. Helens

#2,072 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Sutton Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in St Helens, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

The Sutton Academy is an academy sponsor led in St Helens, St. Helens, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE SUTTON ACADEMY. The school has approximately 1,451 pupils on roll, of whom 40% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43.1, placing the school #4 in St. Helens and #2,072 of 3,216 nationally. 39.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 15.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 7 A-level subjects. 16.7% of A-level entries were graded A*–B. A-level value added: -0.93 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 14.5 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

43.1

Grade 5+ E&M

39.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)15.5%

Entering EBacc34.80%

EBacc APS3.74

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.06

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39.50%

EBacc APS3.74

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS3.54

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.31

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc42%

EBacc APS4.06

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc42%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS3.56

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.25

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37%

EBacc APS3.57

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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

83%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)13%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

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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

-0.93

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*–B16.7%

VA Banding Well below average

Retention rate66.7%

A-level subjects offered7

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.73

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate91.70%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate85.70%

2022

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate92.9%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

14 June 2022

Inspection Report

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01 December 2021

Inspection Report

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18 March 2021

Inspection Report

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17 November 2020

Inspection Report

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08 May 2019

Inspection Report

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10 May 2018

Inspection Report

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07 February 2017

Inspection Report

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01 May 2015

Inspection Report

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20 January 2015

Inspection Report

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11 June 2013

Inspection Report

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14 March 2013

Inspection Report

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31 January 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2022-06-14

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 4 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-05-08

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 3 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2018-05-10

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2017-02-07

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-01-20

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

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

14.7%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.9%(86 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,451 pupils. During this period, there were 214 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 14.7%, 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)	1,451	214	14.7%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,457	209	14.3%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,447	284	19.6%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,457	146	10.0%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,463	247	16.9%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,415	155	11.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,414	156	11.0%	6.4%	3
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,425	155	10.9%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,372	85	6.2%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,387	63	4.5%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,388	40	2.9%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,334	28	2.1%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,336	11	0.8%	1.0%	2
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,321	23	1.7%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,244	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,244	37	3.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,242	25	2.0%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,188	23	1.9%	3.1%	3
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,188	23	1.9%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,204	23	1.9%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,191	24	2.0%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,201	20	1.7%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,233	12	1.0%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,209	19	1.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,216	9	0.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,222	10	0.8%	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 98 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 72 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 48 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 35 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 32 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 17 pupils

Hearing Impairment 9 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

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The Sutton Academy

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

St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy

Outwood Academy Haydock

Cowley International College