55%
GCSE 9–4 · 2024/25
39%
GCSE 5+ · 2024/25
43.1
Attainment 8 · 2024/25
35%
EBacc entry · 2024/25
957.0
EBacc APS · 2024/25
1,451
Pupils · 2024/25
6%
EAL · 2024/25
28%
Persistent abs. · 2024/25
Ofsted inspection
Good
Ofsted inspection · 14/06/2022
Inadequate
Requires improvement
Good
Outstanding
Local authoritySt. Helens
PhaseSecondary with sixth form with sixth form
School typeAcademy
Pupil : teacher ratio15.8:1
AdmissionsNon-selective
Religious characterDoes not apply
StatusOpen
Overview of The Sutton Academy · Secondary with sixth form · St. Helens
Part ofTHE CHALLENGE ACADEMY TRUST
How does this school perform?
Key Stage 4 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
GCSE 9–4 incl. Eng & maths
55%
-1pp
68%62%55%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 55%
GCSE 5+ incl. Eng & maths
39%
-1pp
48%40%31%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 39%
Attainment 8
43.1
0
48.445.843.1
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 43.1
EBacc entry
35%
-5pp
42%38%35%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 35%
EBacc APS
957.0
-26.9
984.0858.0732.1
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 957.0
Sixth form
Key Stage 5 · 2024/25 · trend since 2016/17
A-level APS
23.3
-2.0
29.826.222.6
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 23.3
A-level value added
-0.93
-0.2
-0.2-0.5-0.9
'17'18'19'24'25
'25 · -0.9
AAB+ in facilitating subjects
0%
-8pp
25%13%0%
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · 0%
Average A-level grade
D+
-1
CC-D
'19'22'23'24'25
'25 · D+
Pupils & context
2024/25
Pupils on roll
1,451
Pupil : teacher ratio
15.8
Workforce data · 2025/26
EAL
6%
FSM eligible
40%
SEN
22%
Overall absence
10%
Persistent absence
28%
Contact
Address
Elton Head Road, St Helens, WA9 5AU
Local authority
St. Helens
Telephone
Email
—
History
All years · Historical DfE data by academic year
Secondary — Key Stage 4
GCSE attainment and Progress 8 — how pupils progressed from KS2 to KS4.
| Year | GCSE 9–4 | GCSE 5+ | Attainment 8 | Progress 8 | EBacc entry | EBacc APS | EBacc lang entry | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 55% | 39% | 43.1 | Not applicable | 35% | 957.0 | 36% | 1,451 |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 40% | 43.1 | -0.06 | 40% | 984.0 | 40% | 1,457 |
| 2022/23 | 60% | 39% | 43.1 | -0.08 | 40% | 732.1 | 43% | 1,414 |
| 2021/22 | 68% | 48% | 48.4 | +0.31 | 42% | 860.8 | 48% | 1,387 |
| 2018/19 | 58% | 31% | 44.0 | -0.21 | 38% | 773.6 | 46% | 1,188 |
| 2017/18 | 53% | 34% | 44.1 | -0.25 | 37% | 721.5 | 43% | 1,201 |
| 2016/17 | 60% | 36% | 44.0 | -0.24 | 30% | — | 36% | 1,216 |
Sixth form — Key Stage 5
| Year | A-level APS | Avg grade | VA progress | AAB+ | Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 23.3 | D+ | -0.93 | 0% | 50 |
| 2023/24 | 25.3 | C- | -0.73 | 8% | 76 |
| 2022/23 | 29.8 | C | — | 25% | 79 |
| 2021/22 | 27.8 | C- | — | 0% | 80 |
| 2018/19 | 22.6 | D+ | -0.35 | 0% | 64 |
| 2017/18 | 18.9 | D | -0.16 | Suppressed | 57 |
| 2016/17 | 18.3 | D- | -0.52 | 0% | 75 |
Pupils & absence
| Year | Pupils | Pupil:teacher | SEN | EAL | FSM ever | Absence | Persistent absence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 1,451 | 15.3 | 22% | 6% | 40% | 10% | 28% |
| 2023/24 | 1,457 | 15.5 | 22% | 5% | 38% | 10% | 27% |
| 2022/23 | 1,414 | 29.8 | 20% | 4% | 40% | 10% | 29% |
| 2021/22 | 1,387 | 15.5 | 17% | 3% | 40% | 11% | 35% |
| 2020/21 | 1,336 | 16.7 | 15% | 2% | 37% | — | — |
| 2018/19 | 1,188 | 14.3 | 17% | 2% | 43% | 6% | 15% |
| 2017/18 | 1,201 | 13.9 | 14% | 2% | 44% | 6% | 15% |
| 2016/17 | 1,216 | 13.2 | 15% | 1% | 45% | 5% | 15% |
School performance data © Crown copyright. Source: Department for Education.