What St Helens schools achieved in their Progress 8 scores

What is a Progress 8 score?

Each school is given a positive or negative value which is used to assess the progress which has been made by pupils of the same assessed starting point when they sat their Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) at the end of primary school in Year 6 and the results they achieved in their GCSEs in Year 11.

Progress 8 was introduced in 2016 and is aimed to be as "a fairer way to assess a school’s academic performance", rather than simply looking at raw exam grades.

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A positive score (above zero) means pupils made more progress, on average, than pupils across England who got similar results at the end of Year 6 while a minus score indicates, on average, they made less.

This is the first year since 2019 and the Covid pandemic that the comparative Progress 8 data has been published.

The Department for Education has still highlighted that schools and local authorities have suffered varying levels of impact caused by the pandemic which may have disproportionately affected progress scores.

How is the Progress 8 scores calculated?

A Progress 8 score is calculated based on how pupils have performed in eight subjects, including English, Maths and the sciences and statistically assessing their scores, on average, against how pupils with the same Year 6 SATs results nationally have performed in their GCSEs.

A value is then given for the school as to whether pupils have made the expected amount of progress.

The scores awarded for Maths and English are given double weighting, to reflect the importance of these subjects. Other subjects included in a Progress 8 calculation includes Computer Science, History, Geography and Languages.

A score of plus one means that pupils with the same SATs results are achieving, on average, one grade more than their national peers in their GCSEs, while a score of minus one, means on average they are attaining one grade less.

The DfE says that due to the uneven impact of the pandemic on 2021/22 school and college performance data it recommends not making direct comparisons with data from previous years or between different schools or colleges.

What did St Helens schools achieve?

The local authority (St Helens) average score for state-funded schools is -0.25

The average score for all state-funded schools in England is -0.03.

One school in St Helens, Sutton Academy, achieved a positive score, of +0.3.

Here is each school's individual score starting from the highest:

Sutton Academy

Sutton Academy (Image: Stock)

Sutton Academy achieved a Progress 8 score of +0.3. This is higher than the St Helens average of -0.25.

Rainford High

Rainford High (Image: Stock)

Rainford High achieved a Progress 8 score of -0.02, higher than the St Helens average of -0.25.

Rainhill High

Rainhill High (Image: Google Street View)

Rainhill scored a Progress 8 score of -0.18, higher than the borough average of -0.25.

Cowley International College

Cowley (Image: Stock)

Cowley achieved a Progress 8 score of -0.25, equal to the St Helens average of -0.25.

Hope Academy

Hope Academy (Image: Google Street View)

Hope Academy in Newton-le-Willows achieved a Progress 8 score of -0.3. This is lower than the St Helena average of -0.25.

De La Salle School

De La Salle head teacher Andrew Rannard (Image: Stock)

De La Salle Catholic Secondary School achieved a progress 8 score of -0.39, which is lower than the St Helens average of -0.25.

St Cuthbert's School

St Cuthbert's (Image: Google Streetview)

St Cuthbert's achieved a progress 8 score of -0.76, lower than the borough's average of -0.25.

Note: There is no available Progress 8 data for Outwood Academy Haydock and St Augustine's Catholic Academy, which have recently converted to academies.