Adelaide Heath Academy, Knutsford
Adelaide Heath Academy is a special school for pupils aged 8 to 18 in Knutsford, part of Manor Hall Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Adelaide Heath Academy in detail
Adelaide Heath Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Improving the educational experiences of young people and preparing them to be full and active citizens of society"
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Adelaide Heath Academy are David Lewis School (3 miles, Good); The David Lewis Centre (3 miles, Outstanding); and Oak Cottage (4.6 miles).
The trust
Adelaide Heath Academy is one of 16 schools run by Manor Hall Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 10 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 50% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 30% to a further education college.
Who goes there
70.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 1.2% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (89%) and Mixed (7%).
Almost every pupil at Adelaide Heath Academy has an education, health and care plan (81 of 84 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Adelaide Heath Academy has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 87 places, 93 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Knutsford Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Johns Wood School (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Adelaide Heath Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Adelaide Heath Academy issued 6 suspensions, 6.9 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils and sixth-form students who attend this school have often faced considerable barriers to learning in the past. Some have missed long periods of their education. This school provides an opportunity for pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to re-engage with learning.
Staff provide a safe and caring environment where pupils develop their self-esteem and learn to manage their own emotions. Pupils benefit from the warm, nurturing relationships that staff foster. This builds a strong sense of community and helps the school to be a calm, orderly place. Most pupils are happy here. If they should become distressed, staff are quick to provide expert support. Pupils were keen to tell inspectors how the school has helped them to improve their behaviour.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that meets pupils' needs, including their SEND needs, well. Pupils in key stages 2 to 4 study a broad range of academic and vocational subjects. This, alongside a comprehensive careers programme, prepares pupils well for their next steps in education, training or employment.
In most subjects, the curriculum is well thought out. The school has considered the knowledge that pupils should learn in each key stage. However, in a minority of subjects, this curriculum design is still developing. Curriculum content in these few subjects is less ambitious than in other subjects. Pupils do not learn all that is necessary to achieve highly in these subjects.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Sixth form.
At a Glance
70.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 14% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 0% to 13% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 14% to 0% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby schools
Latest from Adelaide Heath Academy
Cheshire College South and West Open Evening
14 Sep 2026
The Uni Guide Podcasts
10 Sep 2026
National Autistic Society Autism Accreditation
9 Jul 2026
Skills Builder Award
9 Jul 2026
Skills Builder Award
9 Jul 2026
Exams and Social Media
11 May 2026
From Adelaide Heath Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Adelaide Heath Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Adelaide Heath Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Adelaide Heath Academy is in Cheshire East; for families living there:
- Cheshire East's school travel policy: Compulsory school age travel policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
84 pupils
87 places
3 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Knutsford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Knutsford
Across Cheshire East council
Places available
4,404
Applications
4,072
Got 1st preference
93.1%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Cheshire East council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
81
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Adelaide Heath Academy has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 87 places, 93 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
84
Total Pupils
58
Boys
26
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
4.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,512
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
27.6%
Overall absence
57.6%
Persistent absence
85
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Adelaide Heath Academy
What are GCSE results like at Adelaide Heath Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Adelaide Heath Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 10.1. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Adelaide Heath Academy's Ofsted rating?
Adelaide Heath Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Adelaide Heath Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Adelaide Heath Academy is oversubscribed, Cheshire East allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Adelaide Heath Academy?
Adelaide Heath Academy has around 84 pupils on roll. 70% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Adelaide Heath Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Adelaide Heath Academy has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 87 places, 93 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Adelaide Heath Academy?
27.6% of sessions were missed at Adelaide Heath Academy in 2024/25. 57.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Adelaide Heath Academy?
Apply through Cheshire East's coordinated admissions process, naming Adelaide Heath Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Adelaide Heath Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Adelaide Heath Academy?
Adelaide Heath Academy is at Longridge, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 8PA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)