Rayner Stephens High School

About Rayner Stephens High School

Rayner Stephens High School is a secondary school in Dukinfield, Tameside, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. Around 628 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school holds a 'Requires improvement' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 35.6, well below the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 1.5 points in its Attainment 8 score on 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%. 46% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. 99% of the families who made Rayner Stephens High School their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, even though the school made at least as many offers as it had first choices - the rest withdrew, moved or fell outside a priority group. After Year 11, 87% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 16.5%. There are about 16.4 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 50% 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. If you are considering Rayner Stephens High School, it may be worth asking how leaders have responded to Ofsted's findings and what has changed since the inspection. 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.