Winterhill School

About Winterhill School

Winterhill School is a mixed 11-16 secondary in Rotherham that currently educates 919 pupils against a capacity of 1,300, meaning it has room to grow. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals stands at 43.3%, which is notably high and reflects the school’s role in serving a community with above-average economic disadvantage. Demand is strong: for the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school received 221 applications for 160 places, with 140 of those coming as first preferences. That works out at 1.38 applications per place, a clear signal that local families are actively choosing Winterhill. The school is non-denominational and does not have a sixth form, so students typically move on elsewhere after Year 11. With a headteacher in Andrew Reeder, the school has been on a journey of improvement, having been rated Requires Improvement in its 2010 graded inspection before climbing to Good in 2013 and maintaining that rating through its most recent ungraded inspection in 2023.

Academically, Winterhill delivers results that sit around the national average. Its Progress 8 score of -0.05 is classified as Average, meaning students achieve broadly what would be expected given their starting points. That score places the school 5th out of 16 in Rotherham and 1,650th nationally out of 3,141 schools. For context, the local authority average Progress 8 is -0.15, so Winterhill is performing slightly above its neighbours. Attainment 8 sits at 40.4, and 54.9% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics measure). However, only 2.1% of students entered the EBacc, and just 1% achieved it, which is a very low take-up. In maths, the school’s Progress 8 score is a positive 0.2, while English is slightly negative at -0.12. Ofsted’s 2023 inspection noted that leadership and management are Outstanding, with the school overall remaining Good, and the parent view data backs this up: 95% of respondents would recommend the school.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a swimming pool, sports hall, astro turf, tennis courts, music rooms, and an ICT suite, plus a chapel on site. There are extensive SEND provisions covering dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language issues, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. Clubs include Drama, Eco Club, Gardening, DofE, Chess, Newspaper, Choir, Book Club, Orchestra, and Science Club, while sports on offer are cricket, swimming, badminton, cross country, tennis, and gymnastics. With oversubscription and a strong parent recommendation rate, Winterhill is a popular choice for families in Rotherham who want a Good-rated secondary with strong leadership, a broad curriculum, and a clear focus on supporting students with additional needs. It suits families who value a school that is improving and responsive to its community.

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