Rotherham’s best secondary schools 2025
Trying to find the right school for your child in Rotherham? You’re in the right place.
With so many options, many parents find themselves drowning in league tables and Ofsted reports. That’s exactly why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Our expert team has analysed the latest 2023/2024 Department for Education data to bring you a list of the top-performing state secondary schools in Rotherham.
We show two ranking tables, one for Progress 8 and one for GCSE 9–7 results, and also provide a complete list of all secondary schools in Rotherham. This full list includes Progress 8 scores, GCSE 9–7 percentages, and Ofsted ratings where available. The schools in this table are ordered alphabetically rather than ranked, so you can easily see every school in one place, even if some data points are missing.
Top secondary schools in Rotherham by Progress 8
Newman School is currently ranked #1 in Rotherham based on its published Progress 8 score of +0.63. Progress 8 is a headline accountability measure used by the Department for Education to show how much progress pupils make between the end of primary school and their GCSEs, compared to students with similar prior attainment nationally.
Rank | School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Newman School | Community special school | Mixed | +0.63 | - | 0% |
2 | Ellern Mede Moorgate School | Other independent school | Mixed | +0.42 | - | - |
3 | St Bernard's Catholic High School | Academy converter | Mixed | +0.41 | Good | 19.83% |
4 | Abbeywood School | Other independent special school | Mixed | +0.25 | - | 0% |
5 | Saint Pius X Catholic High School A Specialist School in Humanities | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | +0.17 | Requires improvement | 16.31% |
6 | Kelford School | Academy special converter | Mixed | +0.03 | Good | - |
7 | Astrea Academy Dearne | Academy converter | Mixed | 0 | Good | 13.13% |
8 | The Willows School | Academy special converter | Mixed | -0.17 | Good | - |
9 | Wickersley School and Sports College | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.18 | Good | 18.35% |
10 | Clifton Community School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.22 | Good | 4.02% |
11 | Winterhill School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.26 | Good | 9.97% |
12 | Abbey School | Academy special sponsor led | Mixed | -0.98 | Outstanding | 0% |
13 | Brinsworth Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | -2.08 | Good | 12.59% |
Note: Rankings use 2023/2024 CSP data for state-funded schools and may not reflect recent changes, check school websites for the latest information.
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Top secondary schools in Rotherham by GCSE % 9–7
Wath Academy is currently ranked #1 in Rotherham based on the percentage of GCSE grades awarded at 9–7. This measure highlights how many pupils achieve the very top exam results, giving a clear picture of each school’s academic excellence.
Rank | School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wath Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 24.94% |
2 | St Bernard's Catholic High School | Academy converter | Mixed | +0.41 | Good | 19.83% |
3 | Wickersley School and Sports College | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.18 | Good | 18.35% |
4 | Oakwood High School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 17.78% |
5 | Saint Pius X Catholic High School A Specialist School in Humanities | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | +0.17 | Requires improvement | 16.31% |
6 | Maltby Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 15.02% |
7 | Astrea Academy Dearne | Academy converter | Mixed | 0 | Good | 13.13% |
8 | Wingfield Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 12.8% |
9 | Brinsworth Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | -2.08 | Good | 12.59% |
10 | Winterhill School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.26 | Good | 9.97% |
11 | Rawmarsh Community School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 6.57% |
12 | Clifton Community School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.22 | Good | 4.02% |
13 | Thrybergh Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | 0.66% |
14 | Abbey School | Academy special sponsor led | Mixed | -0.98 | Outstanding | 0% |
15 | Abbeywood School | Other independent special school | Mixed | +0.25 | - | 0% |
16 | Newman School | Community special school | Mixed | +0.63 | - | 0% |
Note: Rankings use 2023/2024 CSP data for state-funded schools and may not reflect recent changes, check school websites for the latest information.
All secondary schools in Rotherham
Below is the complete list of secondary schools in Rotherham, including both state-funded and independent schools where data is available. This table provides an at-a-glance view of each school’s key performance metrics, including Progress 8 scores, the percentage of GCSE grades awarded at 9–7, and Ofsted ratings, where published.
School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abbey School | Academy special sponsor led | Mixed | -0.98 | Outstanding | 0% |
Abbeywood School | Other independent special school | Mixed | +0.25 | - | 0% |
Astrea Academy Dearne | Academy converter | Mixed | 0 | Good | 13.13% |
Brinsworth Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | -2.08 | Good | 12.59% |
Clifton Community School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | -0.22 | Good | 4.02% |
Ellern Mede Moorgate School | Other independent school | Mixed | +0.42 | - | - |
Hilltop School | Academy special converter | Mixed | - | Good | - |
Kelford School | Academy special converter | Mixed | +0.03 | Good | - |
Maltby Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 15.02% |
Newman School | Academy special sponsor led | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | - |
Newman School | Community special school | Mixed | +0.63 | - | 0% |
Oakwood High School | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 17.78% |
Rawmarsh Community School | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 6.57% |
Saint Pius X Catholic High School A Specialist School in Humanities | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | +0.17 | Requires improvement | 16.31% |
St Bernard's Catholic High School | Academy converter | Mixed | +0.41 | Good | 19.83% |
The Willows School | Academy special converter | Mixed | -0.17 | Good | - |
Thrybergh Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | 0.66% |
Wath Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 24.94% |
Wickersley School and Sports College | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.18 | Good | 18.35% |
Wingfield Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 12.8% |
Winterhill School | Academy converter | Mixed | -0.26 | Good | 9.97% |
Disclaimer
All data on this page is sourced from the Department for Education’s 2023/2024 Compare School Performance dataset. It includes state-funded and, where available, independent secondary schools. Some schools may be missing data for Progress 8 scores, GCSE 9–7 results, or Ofsted ratings due to unpublished or unavailable figures. Rankings are based only on schools with published data and may not reflect recent changes. Please check school websites for the latest information.How we ranked the best schools in Rotherham?
Why trust our rankings? Our analysis is based on the latest 2023/2024 data from the Department for Education’s Compare School Performance (CSP) database, which publishes official performance data for all secondary schools in England, including both state-funded and independent schools where available.
We’ve created separate tables to highlight top performers in three key areas:
- Progress 8 (pupil progress from KS2 to GCSE)
- GCSE 9–7 grades (academic excellence)
- Overall school listings, with available Ofsted ratings
Schools are primarily ranked by their Progress 8 score. This clever metric doesn’t just reward schools with high-attaining intakes – it highlights the ones that genuinely support student growth by measuring progress from the end of primary school to GCSEs. It adjusts for prior attainment, making it one of the fairest ways to compare schools.
Where available, we also show the percentage of GCSE grades at 9–7 to reflect high academic achievement, and Ofsted ratings for added context. All figures come directly from CSP’s official dataset.
Where Progress 8 data is not available for any schools in Rotherham, the corresponding table will not be shown. This simply means that no schools in this area had published Progress 8 scores at the time of the latest dataset, it does not reflect on the quality of the schools themselves.
How to support your child at home
Helping your child succeed at school doesn’t just happen in the classroom, the right support at home can make a big difference. Encourage a regular study routine, provide a quiet space for learning, and take an interest in what they’re covering in lessons. Even small actions, like checking in on homework or discussing what they learned that day, can build motivation and accountability.
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