Cowley International College
Community secondary school in St Helens (St. Helens).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Welcome to Cowley International College and thank you for taking the time to visit our website. I hope that you find the information useful and it gives you an insight into our friendly and supportive community. Cowley is a high school and Sixth Form College with approximately 1500 students, of which 350 are in the Sixth Form.
Cowley is steeped in history and is one of the oldest schools in St Helens, if not the oldest, having been founded in 1716. Cowley is a warm, caring and vibrant community – there is always something happening here in our school, whether that be dance shows, sporting events, clubs or special guest talks.
When we say to our new students that 'there is something for everyone' in terms of extra-curricular, we really mean it! Our extracurricular timetable covers a full eight-page brochure, and whether a students' interest be chess, reading, science or sport, we will likely have a club for them to join.
We value every person at Cowley and we are driven by an underlying philosophy captured in five words – 'Achieving the highest standards together'.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
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Key facts
- URN
- 104829
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- St. Helens
- Constituency
- St Helens North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1900
Governing body (13 current, 0 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Garry Anders | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2022 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Linda Emmett | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Dr Claire Lucas | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Corey Gerrard | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Russell Cormack | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2024 |
| Mrs Sharon Ahmed | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Councillor Anthony Burns | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Miss Angela Farrell | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Stacey Hill | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Karl Hendrick Van Der Laan | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Margaret Bellis | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2022 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Justine Kellett | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2020 · until 2028 |
| Mr Innes James Arnold | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2015 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 1 November 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record