Hope Academy, Newton-le-Willows
Hope Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Newton-le-Willows, part of The Liverpool Joint Catholic and Church of England Academies Trust. It has a Church of England/Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2021. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 5th-highest of the 9 schools in St. Helens with published results, and 2,009th of 3,298 across England. It was 78% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2021)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to St. Helens (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hope Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Hope Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.9 in St. Helens and 47 across England.
40% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in St. Helens and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 43.8.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.23: 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 31.9, against 48.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 30 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at Hope Academy
For September 2026 entry, 168 families put Hope Academy as their first choice and 289 named it as one of their preferences, for 184 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Hope Academy are The Byrchall High School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8); St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.4); Golborne High School (2 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 45.1); and Outwood Academy Haydock (2.2 miles, Attainment 8 42.9).
Hope Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
The Byrchall High SchoolSt Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-MakerfieldGolborne High SchoolOutwood Academy Haydock
The trust
Hope Academy is one of 11 schools run by The Liverpool Joint Catholic and Church of England Academies Trust, an academy trust.
All 11 schools in The Liverpool Joint Catholic and Church of England Academies Trust
What parents say
204 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hope Academy (as of September 2025): 57% would recommend the school, 66% say their child is happy there and 35% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (72%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (35%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 284 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 41% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
4.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Newton-le-Willows Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Selwyn Jones Sports Centre Hail and Ride (s-bound), 120 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hope Academy issued 566 suspensions, 43.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Hope Academy are St Peter's CofE Primary School (0.5 miles), St Mary's Catholic Infant Academy (0.5 miles), Newton-le-Willows Primary School (0.5 miles) and St Mary's Catholic Junior Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Peter's CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Infant AcademyNewton-le-Willows Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Junior Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hope Academy has a calm, well-ordered environment where pupils behave respectfully and feel genuinely safe. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and the school has invested in improving its curriculum so that pupils can build learning logically across all subjects. The school provides excellent wider development opportunities, including a strong careers programme and enrichment activities that prepare pupils well for their futures.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed, broad and ambitious curriculum with good subject knowledge from teachers
- Effective systems for identifying and supporting pupils with reading difficulties
- Strong behaviour and positive relationships between pupils and staff
- Comprehensive personal development programme including careers education, sexual health, and citizenship
- Effective safeguarding arrangements
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent teaching techniques across subjects - some teachers do not use the most suitable activities to help pupils understand key content
- Teachers do not routinely check pupils' understanding before moving to new learning, particularly affecting pupils with SEND
- Variable expectations and implementation of support strategies for pupils with SEND
- Need to improve attendance for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports, music, cultural activities
Hope Academy is a secondary comprehensive school where pupils are proud to attend and feel safe, with strong relationships between pupils and staff. The school has made recent improvements to its curriculum, though the quality of education still requires improvement due to inconsistent teaching delivery across subjects.
About
Hope Academy is a coeducational secondary school with academy status located in Newton-le-Willows in the English county of Merseyside.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
30.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
204 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.23 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 41.0 to 43.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 31% to 40% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 43.9 | 39.5% |
| Disadvantaged(65) | - | 31.9 | 18.5% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(178) | - | 48.3 | 47.2% |
| Boys(121) | - | 42.7 | 41.3% |
| Girls(122) | - | 45.1 | 37.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(10) | - | 50.0 | 50% |
| Non mobile(238) | - | 44.5 | 40.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 10 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 284 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.23%
Exclusion rate
566
Suspensions
43.94%
Suspension rate
148 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,288 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Hope Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hope Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hope Academy is in St. Helens; for families living there:
Apply to St. Helens for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
6 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 St. Helens is 11.5 (the median across 80 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
Your chances of a place at Hope Academy
Will you get a place at Hope Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hope Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hope Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hope Academy.
- St. Helens publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Hope Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hope Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in St. Helens got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
78%
Available places
1,280 pupils
1,650 places
370 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Newton-le-Willows
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Newton-le-Willows
Across St. Helens council
Places available
2,109
Applications
1,849
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across St. Helens council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
226
SEN Support
66
EHC Plans
23.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,235
Total Pupils
623
Boys
612
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
76
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,287
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,212
Per pupil
£9941k
Total funding
£391k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.2%
Overall absence
23.2%
Persistent absence
1,322
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
Hope Academy
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Hope Academy
What are GCSE results like at Hope Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Hope Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43.9. 40% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Hope Academy's Ofsted rating?
Hope Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2021, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Hope Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Hope Academy is oversubscribed, St. Helens allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hope Academy?
Hope Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 1650 places.
How big are the classes at Hope Academy?
Classes at Hope Academy average 23.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hope Academy?
Hope Academy has around 1235 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hope Academy?
9.2% of sessions were missed at Hope Academy in 2024/25. 23.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hope Academy?
Apply through St. Helens's coordinated admissions process, naming Hope Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Hope Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 6 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 St. Helens is 11.5 (the median across 80 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hope Academy?
Hope Academy is at Ashton Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, WA12 0AQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)