Liberty Academy

Archbishop Sentamu Academy requires improvement across multiple areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Though the school has shown some improvements since its last inspection and benefits from a clear leadership vision and support from the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, ongoing challenges remain. Notably, attendance issues and the need for greater independent working skills among pupils have been highlighted as key areas that need addressing.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• Improving curriculum with well-structured support for SEND pupils
• Calm and orderly atmosphere in lessons
• Effective early reading intervention for struggling pupils
• Well-informed governors and trustees who challenge leaders

Areas for Improvement

• Low attendance and punctuality impacting learning
• Pupils' ability to work independently is underdeveloped
• Inconsistent personal development provision regarding careers and fundamental British values
• Behaviour during social times requires improvement

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 Liberty Academy attended 84.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 47.1% 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, 27.0% of pupils at Liberty Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Liberty Academy had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.4% 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, 19.3% of pupils at Liberty Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.0% 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 Liberty Academy received £9,522 and spent £8,758 for each of its 1,253 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,681,000 (£1,342 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Heartwood Learning Trust, income was £8,073 and spending £7,816 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 Hull · Kingston upon Hull, City of local authority: places and applications

Liberty Academy is part of Heartwood Learning Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• St James' Church of England Academy Hull
• Newland St John's Church of England Academy Hull
• Barlby High School Selby
• George Pindar School Scarborough
• Burton Green Primary School York
• Graham School Scarborough
• Vale of York Academy York
• Manor Church of England Academy York
• Skelton Primary School York
• Poppleton Ousebank Primary School York

What is Liberty Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Liberty Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Liberty Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Liberty Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Liberty Academy have?

Liberty Academy has 1,199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Liberty Academy cover?

Liberty Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Liberty Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 29.5, and 13% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Liberty Academy?

Liberty Academy is at 1 Bilton Grove, Hull, HU9 5YB.