RAINFORD High has been given a good rating by Ofsted inspectors to give the secondary education sector in St Helens its second major boost in the space of a fortnight.

The school achieved the ‘good’ grading in all areas – with inspectors pointing to the fact that an above average proportion of students left the school with five higher grade GCSEs including English and maths.

Attainment in the two subjects was deemed "particularly strong".

Teaching quality was also praised, with staff creating a "positive climate" for learning and having high expectations of their students.

Those same high expectations were also a feature of the school’s overall culture – created by the principal Ian Young, his senior colleagues and governors.

Rainford had previously been told it required improvement but now appears firmly back on track three years since a turbulent period for the school in 2012 saw Mr Young take the helm with the ambition of transforming its culture.

St Helens director of children and young people’s services Andy Dempsey believes it is a crucial milestone in Rainford's development as it aims to become an outstanding school.

“The school’s leadership team, staff and students deserve a huge pat on the back,” said Mr Dempsey. “And while we are delighted with the outcome, everyone is keen to see this as a springboard that will propel Rainford to ‘outstanding’ status.”

In a letter sent to parents principal Ian Young wrote: "I am pleased to inform you that the outcome of the Ofsted inspection on the 17th and 18th March 2015 was that Rainford High has been judged to be a good school across all areas.

"It is the first time since October 2004 that the school has been judged good and this is an important point on the schools journey to excellence.

"Since my arrival in September 2012 the aim has always been to make Rainford High the best school possible and to become an outstanding school.

"The inspection went well across the two days as I would have hoped and expected. The students came in for strong praise for their attitudes and general demeanour and were a credit to the school and their families.

"The inspection team saw many examples of excellent practice and progress and the next challenge will be to develop the consistency of the best practice in every aspect of the school's work.

"Clearly we still have a distance to travel on this journey to excellence but the school is making good progress.

"I would like to thank parents, carers, students and the staff for their support and ongoing support to make our school excellent. I am aware there are still areas of the school that need to improve and that there are still issues that need to be addressed.

"I look forward to working in continued partnership with you all to ensure the best outcomes for everyone who attend the school and to fulfil our ethos of Everyone Matters, Everyone Helps and Everyone Succeeds."

Last week the Star reported how Ofsted had noted significant progress at the Hope Academy in Newton-le-Willows, which was placed in special measures after an inadequate Ofsted report last year.