Yew Tree Primary Academy, Knowsley
Yew Tree Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Knowsley, part of Wade Deacon Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 48th-highest of the 48 schools in Knowsley with published results, and 14,262nd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Knowsley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Yew Tree Primary Academy in detail
Yew Tree Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "At Yew Tree, we are committed to making the difference for all our children and young people. We are very much a school that places our children at the heart of all we do."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, tennis and homework club.
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 41% of Year 6 pupils at Yew Tree Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 44% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Knowsley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 58% in reading and 56% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Yew Tree Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put Yew Tree Primary Academy as their first choice and 55 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Yew Tree Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Yew Tree Primary Academy are St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 79% reading, 69% maths); Plantation Primary School (0.4 miles, 70% reading, 70% maths); St Mark's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 87% reading, 87% maths); and Holy Family Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 84% reading, 93% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Yew Tree Primary Academy.
St Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary SchoolPlantation Primary SchoolSt Mark's Catholic Primary SchoolHoly Family Catholic Primary School
The trust
Yew Tree Primary Academy is one of 10 schools run by Wade Deacon Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
46.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 52 pupils (23%) received SEN support and 40 (17.7%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Yew Tree Primary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 28 places, 28 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Halewood Rail Station, about 640 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Halewood Academy (nw bound), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
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).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Yew Tree Primary Academy issued 5 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Yew Tree Primary Academy are Halewood Academy (under 0.1 miles) and St Julie's Catholic High School (1.3 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
46.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 58% to 41% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 56% to 44% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 61% to 47% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
17.8
Avg class size
21.3
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Yew Tree Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Yew Tree Primary Academy.
- Halewood Youth Centre, Junior Club & Playscheme500m away · Not yet graded
- Raring Stars - Plantation Primary980m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Yew Tree Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Knowsley's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Yew Tree Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Yew Tree Primary Academy is in Knowsley; for families living there:
Apply to Knowsley for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
4 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 Knowsley is 14 (the median across 63 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 Yew Tree Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Yew Tree Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Yew Tree Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Yew Tree Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Yew Tree Primary Academy.
- Knowsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Yew Tree Primary Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Yew Tree Primary Academy for 2020 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Knowsley 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
102%
Over capacity
214 pupils
210 places
4 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Knowsley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Knowsley
Across Knowsley council
Places available
2,085
Applications
1,953
Got 1st preference
86.6%
Got preferred school
96.3%
All primary applications across Knowsley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
40
EHC Plans
40.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Yew Tree Primary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 28 places, 28 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
226
Total Pupils
127
Boys
99
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
17.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,305
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,436
Per pupil
£1628k
Total funding
£165k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.2%
Overall absence
31.2%
Persistent absence
202
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Yew Tree Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Yew Tree Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Yew Tree Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Yew Tree Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 41% reached the expected standard in reading and 44% did so in maths.
What is Yew Tree Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Yew Tree Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023.
What is the catchment area for Yew Tree Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Yew Tree Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Knowsley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Yew Tree Primary Academy?
Yew Tree Primary Academy was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Yew Tree Primary Academy?
Classes at Yew Tree Primary Academy average 17.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Yew Tree Primary Academy?
Yew Tree Primary Academy has around 226 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Yew Tree Primary Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Yew Tree Primary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 28 places, 28 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Yew Tree Primary Academy?
8.2% of sessions were missed at Yew Tree Primary Academy in 2024/25. 31.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Yew Tree Primary Academy?
Apply through Knowsley's coordinated admissions process, naming Yew Tree Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Yew Tree Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Yew Tree Primary Academy: Halewood Youth Centre, Junior Club & Playscheme (500m away, registered, not yet graded) and Raring Stars - Plantation Primary (980m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Yew Tree Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 4 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 Knowsley is 14 (the median across 63 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Yew Tree Primary Academy?
Yew Tree Primary Academy is at The Avenue, Halewood, Knowsley, Merseyside, L26 1UU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)