Halewood Academy, Knowsley

Ofsted's report card from its 12 May 2026 inspection grades Halewood Academy on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Leaders have secured improvements to the curriculum and the quality of teaching and learning across the school."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders use information about attendance in a strategic and systematic way."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of where strengths lie in the curriculum and where areas need further development."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders know that many pupils face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have strengthened many aspects of the school's work since the last inspection."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed a personal development programme that meets the requirements of the national curriculum and statutory guidelines."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff consistently take account of pupils' starting points so that pupils can work independently and achieve well, including in national examinations"; "Leaders should continue to refine their strategies to support pupils who are persistently absent from school so that they attend regularly and benefit from all that school has to offer".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Halewood Academy and thank you for taking the time to find out more about us. It is an honour and privilege to lead this school where the achievement and welfare of each student is paramount. Halewood Academy is a school at the heart of the community where relationships between staff and students are excellent."

In 2026, pupils at Halewood Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 36.2 in Knowsley and 47 across England.

32% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 26% in Knowsley and 47% in England.

That is down from 41.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.47: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31, against 49.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 18.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 256 families put Halewood Academy as their first choice and 432 named it as one of their preferences, for 236 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 40 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Halewood Academy are St Julie's Catholic High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.2); The Academy of St Nicholas (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 35.2); St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy (2.2 miles, Attainment 8 37.8); and Gateacre School (2.3 miles, Attainment 8 39.4).

Halewood Academy's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Halewood Academy is one of 10 schools run by Wade Deacon Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.5 in 2024/25.

Of the 211 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 70% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

47.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 197 pupils (17.4%) received SEN support and 78 (6.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Halewood Rail Station, about 590 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wood Road (ne-bound), 90 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 144 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Knowsley (221).

In 2024/25, Halewood Academy issued 303 suspensions, 26.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Halewood Academy are Yew Tree Primary Academy (under 0.1 miles), St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles), Plantation Primary School (0.4 miles) and St Mark's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.