Knutsford Academy

Knutsford Academy is performing well overall, with significant strengths in student achievement, safeguarding, and the quality of teaching. The school fosters a positive learning culture where pupils feel safe and are encouraged to excel academically and personally. Leaders have established effective practices for supporting all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, resulting in strong academic outcomes and high levels of involvement in extracurricular activities. The school’s curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, contributing to students’ high attainment in national examinations.

Strengths

• Strong academic achievement across all subjects.
• High levels of pupil engagement and positive behavior.
• Effective curriculum design that supports diverse learning needs.
• Strong focus on safeguarding and pupil wellbeing.
• A wide range of personal development opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Need for closer analysis of participation and performance of vulnerable groups.

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 Knutsford Academy attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.2% 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, 4.1% of pupils at Knutsford Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Knutsford Academy had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Knutsford Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% 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 Knutsford Academy received £6,729 and spent £6,992 for each of its 1,325 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,527,000 (£1,152 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, income was £7,536 and spending £7,682 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 Knutsford · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Knutsford Academy is part of The Learning Partnership Academies Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Egerton Primary School Knutsford
• Black Firs Primary School Congleton
• Congleton High School Congleton
• Wheelock Primary School Sandbach
• Daven Primary School Congleton
• Leighton Academy Crewe
• Sir William Stanier School Crewe
• Cheshire Studio School Crewe
• Crewe Engineering and Design UTC Crewe
• The Oaks Academy Crewe

What is Knutsford Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Knutsford Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Knutsford Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Knutsford Academy was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Knutsford Academy have?

Knutsford Academy has 1,429 pupils on roll.

What age range does Knutsford Academy cover?

Knutsford Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Knutsford Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.9, and 63% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Knutsford Academy?

Knutsford Academy is at Bexton Road, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 0EA.