Knowsley Junior School

Knowsley Junior School is a caring and harmonious junior school where pupils feel safe, behave well and enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other. The inspection found most aspects of provision are performing as expected. Achievement is broadly in line with national averages, with disadvantaged pupils achieving particularly well, especially in reading. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other vulnerable pupils are included well and supported to overcome barriers. The curriculum is ambitious, reading is a priority, and personal development and wellbeing are strong.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, courteous and behave well, with harmonious playtimes.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve particularly well, especially in reading.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and learn successfully alongside their peers.
• The curriculum is ambitious and designed to build knowledge logically.
• Reading is a clear priority, with effective support for pupils who have phonics gaps.
• Leaders have prioritised writing, grammar and mathematics with positive impact.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is well established and tailored to pupils.
• Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe, including online.
• Vulnerable pupils receive high-quality wellbeing support and counselling.
• Attendance of pupils with SEND now matches that of other pupils.
• Staff morale and wellbeing have rapidly improved under new leadership.
• Pupils value extra-curricular activities, trips and positions of responsibility.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders' oversight systems for recording and analysing important aspects of school work lack rigour.
• Recording of some minor safeguarding incidents is not robust enough for effective oversight.
• Behaviour incident recording and analysis make it difficult to spot patterns and emerging issues.
• Governors have not historically held leaders to account well enough, and recent improvements are at an early stage.
• Professional development is not closely aligned with the school's improvement priorities.
• Some pupils are less secure in number and grammar knowledge, including in the Year 4 multiplication check.
• Leaders do not always use the most up-to-date guidance and research to inform attendance strategy.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Knowsley Junior School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at Knowsley Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Knowsley Junior School had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 6.9% of pupils at Knowsley Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Knowsley Junior School received £8,452 and spent £8,241 for each of its 216 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £233,000 (£1,078 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Oldham · Oldham local authority: places and applications

Knowsley Junior School is part of Dovestone Learning Partnership, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Delph Primary School Oldham
• Diggle School Oldham

What is Knowsley Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Knowsley Junior School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Knowsley Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Knowsley Junior School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Knowsley Junior School have?

Knowsley Junior School has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Knowsley Junior School cover?

Knowsley Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Knowsley Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Knowsley Junior School?

Knowsley Junior School is at Stoneleigh Road, Springhead, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL4 4BH.