North Liverpool Academy

North Liverpool Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school in a highly deprived area, with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (57.6%). It is part of Northern Schools Trust and was inspected under section 5 in May 2026. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is judged to be meeting the expected standard across all inspected areas: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision. Pupils are polite, respectful and committed to learning, and behaviour is a real strength. Attendance is above the national average and improving, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Disadvantaged pupils typically attain above national averages, and pupils who join with lower prior attainment also do well because of bespoke support. The curriculum is secure and ambitious, teaching has been strengthened through effective training, and inclusion is strong. Leaders use pupil premium well, provide a very wide range of enrichment, and support pupils' wellbeing and careers. Sixth-form students are positive role models, and A-level value added is above national. The main areas for development are around leaders' evaluation and identification systems. Leaders have accurately identified that some systems for checking the impact of their actions need further refinement, and this work is at an early stage. They should also continue to sharpen how they identify pupils who may face barriers to learning or wellbeing. Overall, this is a school providing an expected standard of education with a strong culture and ambition.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, respectful and show complete dedication to their education.
• Classrooms are tranquil and focused, and bullying or discrimination are rare.
• Attendance is higher than the national average and continues to improve.
• Disadvantaged pupils typically attain above other pupils nationally.
• Pupils with lower prior attainment and those with SEND receive bespoke support and achieve well.
• Leaders have strengthened teaching through high-quality training and support.
• The curriculum is secure, ambitious and regularly adapted across subjects and year groups.
• Reading, writing and numeracy support is effective, especially for pupils with English as an additional language.
• Inclusion is strong, with a supportive ethos and effective use of pupil premium funding.
• Pupils benefit from an unusually wide range of clubs, trips and enrichment opportunities.
• The scholars programme broadens horizons and raises aspirations for higher-attaining pupils.
• Personal development and wellbeing support are well established.
• Careers guidance is appropriate and pupils increasingly move on to suitable education, training or employment.
• Leadership, governance and the trust share a highly ambitious vision for pupils.
• Staff are proud to serve the community and feel leaders consider their workload and wellbeing.
• Sixth-form students are sensible and committed role models for younger pupils.
• A-level value added is above the national average.
• Overall absence and persistent absence are below national averages.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders' processes for evaluating the impact of their actions need further refinement.
• Some improvement systems are in the early stages, so their full impact is not yet evident.
• Leaders should continue to sharpen systems for identifying pupils who may face barriers to learning or wellbeing.

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 North Liverpool Academy attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 10.9% of pupils at North Liverpool Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 8 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 North Liverpool Academy had 14.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 15.4% of pupils at North Liverpool Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 North Liverpool Academy received £9,527 and spent £9,906 for each of its 1,286 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,894,000 (£1,473 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Northern Schools Trust, income was £8,473 and spending £8,763 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

North Liverpool Academy is part of Northern Schools Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Four Oaks Community Primary School Liverpool
• New Park Primary School Liverpool
• Roscoe Primary School Liverpool
• Liverpool Life Sciences UTC Liverpool
• The Studio School Liverpool Liverpool
• Thomas Gray Primary School Bootle
• Gateacre School Liverpool

What is North Liverpool Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Liverpool Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was North Liverpool Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

North Liverpool Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does North Liverpool Academy have?

North Liverpool Academy has 1,269 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Liverpool Academy cover?

North Liverpool Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are North Liverpool Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.5, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is North Liverpool Academy?

North Liverpool Academy is at 120 Heyworth Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L5 0SQ.