Rayner Stephens High School

About Rayner Stephens High School

Rayner Stephens High School sits in Tameside, a local authority where secondary school performance varies widely. Among the 18 state secondaries in the borough, the school ranks 16th by Progress 8, placing it behind top-performing peers like Laurus Ryecroft, Fairfield High School for Girls, and St Thomas More RC College. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is St Damian's RC Science College, about 4.5 kilometres away. Rayner Stephens itself was graded Requires Improvement in its most recent 2023 inspection, a step up from its previous Inadequate rating. The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage — 43.8 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Headteacher Martin Davies leads a mixed, non-denominational secondary for 11- to 16-year-olds, with no sixth form on site. The school currently has 628 pupils against a capacity of 831, meaning there is room to grow, and it was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, with 262 applications for 155 places.

Academically, the school's results are significantly below both local and national benchmarks. Its Progress 8 score of -1.03 is classified as well below average, and pupils achieve an Attainment 8 score of 34.1. This compares unfavourably with the Tameside local authority average Progress 8 of -0.19. Only 25 per cent of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, and just 6.5 per cent entered the English Baccalaureate. The EBacc average point score sits at 2.83. Progress in individual subjects is consistently negative: English at -0.87, maths at -1.15, and the EBacc subjects at -1.27. The school's ranking nationally places it in the bottom 5 per cent of all schools, and in the bottom 6 per cent within the North West region. While the Ofsted report noted that personal development is now Good, behaviour and attitudes, leadership, and quality of education all require improvement.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, astro turf, science labs, and art studios, alongside clubs such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Model UN, coding, and Young Enterprise. Sports on offer include rugby, hockey, gymnastics, and martial arts. SEND provision is extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language challenges, hearing and multi-sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families considering this school, the data paints a clear picture: it is a school in the early stages of improvement, serving a high-needs community, and while it is oversubscribed, its academic outcomes are currently among the weakest in Tameside. It may suit parents who value the range of extracurricular opportunities and the recent upward trajectory in Ofsted grading, but who are prepared to support their child's academic progress closely.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Rayner Stephens High School

Helpful Guides for Parents