Finch Woods Academy, Liverpool
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This school excels at understanding and supporting pupils with complex needs, creating a warm and nurturing environment where every child feels valued and safe. Staff use calm, consistent approaches and provide therapeutic support including play therapy, art therapy and equine therapy to help pupils settle and learn. Pupils make real progress and develop confidence, with many successfully moving into education, employment or training.
Key Strengths
- Strong leadership that has stabilized the school and driven substantial improvement
- Inclusive culture that meets pupils' complex social, emotional and mental health needs effectively
- Improved behaviour and safety with calm, purposeful classrooms and rare bullying incidents
- Well-designed personal development programme including music therapy, vocational learning and outdoor education
- Improving attendance from extremely low starting points and strong outcomes for pupils progressing to education or employment
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent checking of understanding and tackling of misconceptions in some subjects
- Attendance remains variable with some pupils still not attending regularly
- Further work needed to ensure sustained and secure attendance improvements for all pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Music therapy, art therapy, equine therapy, vocational learning, work-related experiences, outdoor education, creative arts, off-site visits
Finch Woods Academy has been transformed rapidly by strong leadership with clear purpose and vision. The school provides effective support for pupils with complex needs, helping them make steady progress from very low starting points.
At a Glance
84.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2025/26 academic year
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
96%
Near capacity
88 pupils
92 capacity
4 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Liverpool
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Liverpool
Admissions Demand - Knowsley
Places available
1,290
Applications
1,725
Got 1st preference
84.1%
Got preferred school
95.3%
Secondary admissions across Knowsley (2025/26)
Inspection History(14)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
35.15658%
Overall absence
75.5102%
Persistent absence
98
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Finch Woods Academy
St Mark's Catholic Primary School
Halewood Church of England Primary Academy
Plantation Primary School
Yew Tree Primary Academy
St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School
Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Hunts Cross Primary School
St Ambrose Catholic Academy
Middlefield Community Primary School
St Christopher's Catholic Primary School
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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