Knutsford Academy, Knutsford

Ofsted's report card from its 10 March 2026 inspection grades Knutsford Academy on 7 areas: 4 strong standard and 3 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, successfully gain strong foundations for their learning."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders ensure that regular attendance has a high profile in school and is prioritised at all times."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have constructed a balanced and ambitious curriculum in all key stages."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have highly effective transition processes in place to support pupils as they progress through each key stage."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Trust and school leaders have a clear and accurate view of the school's many strengths."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils are well supported by a wide-ranging programme of personal development that provides opportunities to broaden experiences and develop talents."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Sixth-form students enjoy their studies, and they appreciate the considerable support that they receive to help them to succeed in school and after they leave, including careers support and guidance."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should more closely analyse the participation and performance of different groups of pupils, including those who are vulnerable, so that they can more effectively use this information to inform their priorities for improvement, for example, in their work to improve the personal development and wellbeing provision for pupils"; "Leaders should more carefully track and analyse the quality and impact of the provision for students in the sixth form. This is so that they can make more astute adaptations to support students to achieve highly".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Based in the heart of the historic town of Knutsford we offer secondary education to 1400 students aged from 11 to 18 years old. Students joining us in Year 7 spend their first two years at the Westfield Drive site settling into life at Knutsford Academy."

On phones, the school says: "Mobile Phone Free School Home Parents Knutsford Academy is introducing a phone-free school system from September 2026, designed to support a calm, focused and safe learning environment for all students."

In 2026, pupils at Knutsford Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 52.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.1 in Cheshire East and 47 across England.

63% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Cheshire East and 47% in England.

That is down from 54.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.03: pupils made about 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 39.2, against 55.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 27 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and History.

For September 2026 entry, 244 families put Knutsford Academy as their first choice and 454 named it as one of their preferences, for 226 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 36 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Knutsford Academy are The Rudheath Senior Academy (5.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 32.2); and Saint Ambrose College (5.4 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 72.3).

Knutsford Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.

Knutsford Academy is one of 15 schools run by The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.8 in 2024/25.

180 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Knutsford Academy (as of April 2026): 88% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).

Of the 187 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 94% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 15% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 98 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 57% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 24% into work. 20% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

13.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 197 pupils (13.8%) received SEN support and 36 (2.5%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Knutsford Rail Station, about 580 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Knutsford Academy (outside), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Knutsford Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Knutsford Academy issued 97 suspensions, 7.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Knutsford Academy are Egerton Primary School (0.3 miles), Bexton Primary School (0.5 miles), St Vincent De Paul Catholic Primary School (0.9 miles) and Manor Park Primary School and Nursery (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.