Hazel Cottage School, Liverpool
Hazel Cottage School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 18 in Liverpool.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hazel Cottage School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Hazel Cottage School are Birtenshaw School Merseyside (1 mile, Good); Bank View High School (1.1 miles, Outstanding); Redbridge High School (1.1 miles, Outstanding); and Activate (1.5 miles).
Birtenshaw School MerseysideBank View High SchoolRedbridge High SchoolActivate
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Hazel Cottage School has an education, health and care plan (38 of 38 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Fazakerley Rail Station, about 860 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is New Hall Cottages (adjacent), 190 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hazel Cottage School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. Ofsted last inspected this school in 21 January 2025, before the latest ISI inspection.
Non-Routine Inspection
3 July 2026
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hazel Cottage School is a caring environment where pupils with autism thrive. The staff truly understand each child's needs and provide personalised learning that helps them make real progress. The school excels at building practical life skills and independence, while creating plenty of opportunities for pupils to try new activities and prepare for life beyond school.
Key Strengths
- Warm, nurturing staff who help pupils settle quickly and understand their individual needs well
- Strong focus on communication and language development from early years, using sign language and symbols
- Daily reading sessions and well-structured phonics programme that helps all pupils progress
- Building independence skills through practical activities like jigsaws and community visits
- Effective behaviour management that is sensitive and supportive
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects, including early years areas, need clearer planning of what key knowledge pupils should learn and when
- Occasionally activities don't help pupils deepen their learning as effectively as they could
- Staff sometimes don't emphasise and revisit important ideas and concepts enough
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with a robust safeguarding policy that meets all statutory requirements.
Extracurricular Activities
Dancing, swimming, yoga, park visits, bus travel, community walks
Hazel Cottage School is a small independent special school for pupils aged 4-11 with autism. The school received a 'Good' overall effectiveness rating with strengths in personalised learning, communication development, and preparing pupils for independence.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Hazel Cottage School
Art Competition Winner
16 Sep 2026
The Education Awards
16 Sep 2026
ISA National Awards 2025
16 Sep 2026
Hazel Cottage School wins an award!
11 Jul 2025
Official opening of Hazel Cottage School
2 Feb 2024
From Hazel Cottage School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Hazel Cottage School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 20
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 15 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 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
37%
Available places
38 pupils
104 places
66 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Liverpool
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Liverpool
Across Liverpool council
Places available
6,108
Applications
5,379
Got 1st preference
68.1%
Got preferred school
89.6%
All secondary applications across Liverpool council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
38
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Hazel Cottage School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
38
Total Pupils
30
Boys
8
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Hazel Cottage School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Hazel Cottage School
When was Hazel Cottage School last inspected?
Hazel Cottage School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a non-routine inspection in July 2026.
How many pupils go to Hazel Cottage School?
Hazel Cottage School has around 38 pupils on roll.
Does Hazel Cottage School have specialist SEN provision?
Hazel Cottage School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Hazel Cottage School?
Hazel Cottage School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Hazel Cottage School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 15 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hazel Cottage School?
Hazel Cottage School is at 2 New Hall Cottages, Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, Merseyside, L10 1LD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)