The Sutton Academy

About The Sutton Academy

The Sutton Academy’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.06 places it comfortably above the St. Helens local authority average of -0.31 for secondary schools, meaning its pupils make slightly better academic progress than the typical student in the borough. This is a meaningful gap, given that the LA average is notably negative. The school ranks 4th out of 9 secondary schools in St. Helens on this metric, putting it in the top half locally, and sits in the 53rd percentile nationally — essentially middle-of-the-pack across England. That said, the picture is mixed when you dig into the subject breakdown. While maths progress is positive (+0.10) and open element progress is strong (+0.13), English progress is a clear weak spot at -0.45, dragging the overall figure down. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 43.1 is modest, and just 39.9% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics 5 measure), compared with 56.3% at grade 4 or above. The EBacc entry rate of 39.5% is reasonable, though only 17.1% achieved the full EBacc at grade 5 or better.

At Key Stage 5, the sixth form is smaller with 42 pupils in the data, and its value-added score of -0.73 is classed as well below average, with a points per entry grade of C-. This is a significant drop-off from the school’s broadly average KS4 performance. The most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2022 rated the school Good across all categories, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2019. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership, and the quality of education all scored Good, as did the sixth form provision. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, but the trajectory is clearly upward.

The Sutton Academy is a large secondary with 1,451 pupils against a capacity of 1,550, and it is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, 503 applications were received for 254 places, with 251 first-preference offers made. That’s an oversubscription ratio of nearly 2:1, so it’s a popular choice locally. The school serves a community with high disadvantage — 38.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Facilities are strong for a state school, including a swimming pool, astro turf, sports hall, gymnasium, music rooms, and a chapel. The sports offer is unusually broad, with rowing and martial arts alongside the usual team sports, and there are over a dozen clubs including Debate, DofE, Coding, and Eco Club. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering dyslexia, autism, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities. This is a school that suits families looking for a large, inclusive secondary with improving GCSE outcomes, strong facilities, and a sixth form that may need closer scrutiny on value-added.

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