Cowley International College

Cowley International College at a glance

Located in St Helens, St. Helens, Cowley International College is a secondary school, classified by the DfE as a community school. The school educates roughly 1,498 pupils aged 11 to 18. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 39.3 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 2.4 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

30% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well below the national average of about 45%. 48% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Cowley International College their first choice was offered one of its 243 Year 7 places. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 6.21 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 84% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 12.5%. There are about 15.3 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 42% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. Cowley International College does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.