Hope Academy

About Hope Academy

Hope Academy is a secondary school in St. Helens that serves a significantly higher proportion of disadvantaged pupils than the national average, with 62.8% of its 1,288 students eligible for free school meals. The school is heavily oversubscribed, with a capacity of just 90 places, suggesting strong local demand despite its intake profile. The school is mixed, non-selective, and has a Church of England/Roman Catholic religious character, though it is a state-funded institution. Its headteacher is Marie Adams. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in June 2025, confirmed that standards are maintained, and it retains a Good rating overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. This marks a significant improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2015, when it was rated Inadequate, and an earlier inspection in 2013 that also found it Inadequate. The school’s demographic profile places it among the most disadvantaged in the local authority, and its popularity among families is reflected in the high number of pupils relative to its capacity.

Academically, Hope Academy’s outcomes are among the lowest in St. Helens. Its Progress 8 score for the 2023/24 academic year is -0.89, meaning pupils achieve nearly a grade less per subject than similar students nationally. This places it 8th out of 9 schools in the local authority and in the bottom 5% nationally. The school’s Attainment 8 score is just 10.1, and only 7.7% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. No pupils entered the EBacc, and the EBacc average point score is 0.86. Progress in maths is slightly positive at +0.19, but English progress is significantly negative at -1.47. The local authority average Progress 8 is -0.31, so Hope Academy is well below this benchmark. Its top local peers, such as Carmel College (Progress 8 +0.38) and Rainford High School (+0.03), achieve much stronger results. For parents prioritising academic outcomes, this school presents a challenging picture.

The school offers a range of facilities including a library, swimming pool, art studios, music rooms, theatre, gymnasium, and chapel. Sports include tennis, cross country, badminton, hockey, football, and swimming, and there are clubs such as drama, choir, young enterprise, gardening, book club, eco club, art club, orchestra, debate, and film club. The school has a dedicated SEND provision for social, emotional and mental health needs, and 100% of parents who responded to the Parent View survey said their child has SEND. Parent satisfaction is mixed: 83% would recommend the school, and strong majorities agree that their child is happy (75% strongly agree or agree) and feels safe (77%). However, only 52% agree that bullying is dealt with quickly, and 52% agree their child can take part in clubs and activities. This school may suit families who value its inclusive, faith-based ethos and wide extracurricular offer, but who are aware of its academic challenges and the high level of disadvantage among its intake.

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