Gateacre School

Gateacre School is a larger-than-average secondary school in the Northern Schools Trust, inspected in June 2026 following qualifying complaints. The current headteacher took up post in January 2024 and many staff have joined since the last inspection. The school is calmer, safer and more orderly than in the past, and safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Pupils generally behave well, pastoral support is a notable strength, and the sixth form is well structured with strong careers and next-step guidance. The Gateacre Leadership Foundations and other enrichment opportunities add breadth, and leaders track access for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. However, the quality of education is uneven. Achievement varies across subjects and for pupils with SEND, some pupils have gaps in knowledge and limited opportunities to write or transfer learning, and older pupils who struggle with reading do not catch up quickly enough. Teaching is not consistently adapted to identify and address misconceptions, and expectations for independent thinking are sometimes too low. Attendance remains below national averages, persistent absence is high, and some older pupils feel less connected to the school community. Leadership has appropriate plans and an accurate view of teaching, but impact checks are underdeveloped, strategic direction is not shared consistently, and governance does not yet challenge deeply enough. Relationships with parents, the trust and the local authority are strained, and family engagement remains fragile. The school has real strengths to build on, but improvement needs to be more consistent and better evaluated, especially in inclusion, attendance and community trust.

Strengths

• Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and pupils generally feel safe.
• Behaviour around school is calm, orderly and respectful, with clear routines.
• Pastoral support is a notable strength, with positive pupil-staff relationships and wellbeing spaces.
• The sixth form has clear strategic direction, structured pathways and strong next-step support.
• Careers education is effective, including employer encounters, work experience and impartial guidance.
• The Gateacre Leadership Foundations and wider enrichment offer a rich range of experiences.
• Leaders track engagement so disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND can access opportunities.
• Leaders work well with external agencies and use alternative provision appropriately.
• Early reading and EAL pupils benefit from targeted support, including effective phonics teaching.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious in most subjects, and most teachers have secure subject knowledge.
• Leaders have an accurate view of teaching and are taking appropriate action to improve it.
• Professional learning structures are in place and teachers speak positively about their development.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is variable across subjects and for pupils with SEND, with gaps in knowledge.
• Some pupils have limited opportunities to write or transfer learning between subjects.
• Older pupils do not overcome reading gaps swiftly enough, hindering curriculum access.
• Attendance is below national average and persistent absence is high, especially for older pupils.
• Leaders do not evaluate attendance strategies well enough to identify what works.
• Curriculum delivery is uneven and assessment is not consistently used to address misconceptions.
• Some teachers do not adapt learning sufficiently or challenge pupils to think independently.
• Support for pupils with SEND is variable and not consistently put in place.
• Leaders' checks on inclusion strategies are underdeveloped, so impact is unclear.
• Communication with parents about SEND decisions has caused concern and uncertainty.
• Some pupils, particularly older pupils, feel less connected and lack a genuine sense of belonging.
• Personal development impact is inconsistent and pupils' understanding of British values is sometimes superficial.
• PSHE delivery checks are underdeveloped, leaving leaders with an unclear view of learning.
• Governance lacks detailed understanding to evaluate impact and challenge effectively.
• Relationships with the trust and local authority are strained, limiting partnership working.
• Family and community engagement remains fragile, with a breakdown in trust among some parents.
• Staff views on wellbeing and workload are mixed.
• Some sixth-form lessons are cautious about allowing independent thinking.
• Some key stage 4 pupils perceive behaviour and attendance changes as too rigid.

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 Gateacre School attended 85.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 40.8% 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, 7.6% of pupils at Gateacre School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 11 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 Gateacre School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7).

Pupils per teacher

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, 16.2% of pupils at Gateacre School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.4% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Gateacre School is part of Northern Schools Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Gateacre School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gateacre School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Gateacre School last inspected by Ofsted?

Gateacre School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Gateacre School have?

Gateacre School has 1,196 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gateacre School cover?

Gateacre School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Gateacre School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.4, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Gateacre School?

Gateacre School is at Hedgefield Road, Belle Vale, Liverpool, Merseyside, L25 2RW.