Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #6 in Knowsley public Top 55% UK

Kirkby High School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

person Mrs Anna Dobson (Headteacher)

corporate_fareTHE ROWAN LEARNING TRUST

location_onLiverpool, L32 9PP

language Visit Website phone 01514778710

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

949

trending_up

Attainment 8

34.8

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#4 in Knowsley

#3,437 of 4,024 nationally

summarize

Kirkby High School is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Liverpool, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Kirkby High School is an academy sponsor led in Liverpool, Knowsley, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of THE ROWAN LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 1,042 pupils on roll, of whom 59% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2026, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 34.8, placing the school #4 in Knowsley and #3,437 of 4,024 nationally. 24.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 5.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 4 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 7.3 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

34.8

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

24.10%

Grade 4+ E&M

41.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)5.0%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)37.40%

Triple Science Entry11.80%

EBacc Slot Score9.7 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

31.4

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

20.00%

Grade 4+ E&M

37.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)6.1%

Entering EBacc10.80%

EBacc APS2.55

2024

Progress 8 Score

-1.63

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

29.2

Grade 5+ E&M

22.80%

Entering EBacc11.70%

EBacc APS2.47

2023

Progress 8 Score

-1.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

32.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15%

EBacc APS2.65

2022

Progress 8 Score

-1.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

34.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc7%

EBacc APS2.95

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.82

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

33.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS2.63

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.8

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

34.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc10%

EBacc APS2.8

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2026

Stayed in Education / Employment

76.6%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)71.1%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2.5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12.7%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

78%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)71%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)13%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

80%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)66%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment11%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)19%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

82%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)72%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)17%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)72%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)14%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)67%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment12%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)15%

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Ranking History & Trajectory

National & Local Authority position based on DfE performance data · Methodology

Year	Secondary Overall (Nat)	LA Rank	GCSE Attainment	Progress 8 Rank
2026	#3,642 / 4,024	#6	#3,437	#1
2025	#3,580 / 3,948	#6	#3,557	#1
2024	#3,673 / 4,450	#6	#3,558	#3,283
2023	#3,508 / 4,321	#6	#3,403	#3,057
2022	#3,384 / 4,199	#5	#3,286	#2,967
2019	#2,671 / 2,711	#5	#2,659	#2,628
2018	#2,481 / 2,537	#4	#2,447	#2,461

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

12 July 2022

Inspection Report

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04 December 2018

Inspection Report

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15 May 2018

Inspection Report

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23 January 2018

Inspection Report

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12 September 2017

Inspection Report

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21 February 2017

Inspection Report

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13 November 2015

Inspection Report

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03 June 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

8 Evaluations

2022-07-12

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

verified_user Safeguarding: Met

2018-12-04

Schools into Special Measures Visit 4 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

verified_user Safeguarding: Met

2018-05-15

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2018-01-23

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2017-09-12

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2017-02-21

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

2015-11-13

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2015-06-03

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

6.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.8%(49 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

3pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,027 pupils. During this period, there were 71 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 6.9%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,027	71	6.9%	7.3%	3
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,024	78	7.6%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,023	80	7.8%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,028	69	6.7%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,022	102	10.0%	8.2%	4
2022/23 (Summer term)	954	71	7.4%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	949	78	8.2%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	954	84	8.8%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	935	50	5.3%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	942	50	5.3%	4.9%	3
2021/22 (Autumn term)	957	74	7.7%	4.4%	4
2020/21 (Summer term)	943	59	6.3%	3.6%	3
2020/21 (Spring term)	931	13	1.4%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	930	85	9.1%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	901	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	901	55	6.1%	3.2%	3
2019/20 (Autumn term)	916	123	13.4%	4.2%	5
2018/19 (Summer term)	876	55	6.3%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	874	63	7.2%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	876	73	8.3%	3.8%	5
2017/18 (Summer term)	830	63	7.6%	3.4%	3
2017/18 (Spring term)	830	70	8.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	852	48	5.6%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	811	108	13.3%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	811	120	14.8%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	812	143	17.6%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 83 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 44 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 41 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 39 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

Overall, how do parents view this school?

59%Positive

My child is happy at this school.

74%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

74%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

strongly agree20%

agree20%

disagree10%

strongly disagree40%

not applicable80%

Neither agree nor disagree10%

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree34%

agree36%

disagree10%

strongly disagree8%

Neither agree nor disagree12%

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

strongly agree22%

agree38%

Neither agree nor disagree20%

disagree4%

strongly disagree12%

Don't know4%

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

strongly agree26%

agree48%

Neither agree nor disagree10%

disagree6%

strongly disagree8%

Don't know2%

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

strongly agree36%

agree38%

disagree8%

strongly disagree14%

Neither agree nor disagree4%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly.

strongly agree28%

agree26%

disagree8%

strongly disagree14%

not applicable18%

Neither agree nor disagree6%

Does your child have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

yes26%

no74%

My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree31%

agree23%

disagree8%

strongly disagree15%

Neither agree nor disagree23%

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

yes76%

no24%

Top Secondary Schools in Knowsley

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Halewood Academy

Expected standard

location_on Knowsley, L26 1UU

emoji_events #1 in LA

All Saints Catholic High School

Expected standard

location_on Knowsley, L33 8XF

emoji_events #2 in LA

Lord Derby Academy

Good

location_on Liverpool, L36 6DG

emoji_events #3 in LA

The Prescot School

Requires improvement

location_on Liverpool, L34 3NB

emoji_events #4 in LA

Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy

Needs attention

location_on Prescot, L35 2XG

emoji_events #5 in LA

View all schools in Knowsley arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ranking History & Trajectory

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Overall, how do parents view this school?

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly.

Does your child have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Knowsley

Halewood Academy

All Saints Catholic High School

Lord Derby Academy

The Prescot School

Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy