SCHOOL PROFILE

King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes

Secondary Free schools URN 138260
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 600 Published school capacity
Capacity used 118.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

27 September 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Free schools
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Sefton
Trust THE GREAT SCHOOLS TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 708 708 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 340 48.0% of pupils
Male pupils 368 52.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

61.6%
36.8 pts above England
School 61.6%
Sefton 26.0%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

16.9%
3.4 pts below England
School 16.9%
Sefton 8.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.3%
0.7 pts below England
School 0.3%
Sefton 1.3%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
73.6%
521
Any other White background
6.1%
43
Any other ethnic group
5.5%
39
African
4.0%
28
Any other Mixed background
2.4%
17
Unclassified
2.3%
16
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 25.1% 178 of 708 pupils
4.3 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 25.1%
Sefton 24.0%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 19.6% 139 pupils
England 14.8% 4.8 pts above
EHC plans 5.5% 39 pupils
England 6.0% 0.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 49
Social, emotional & mental health 39
Specific learning difficulty 28
Speech, language & communication 24
Other difficulty or disability 13
Moderate learning difficulty 12

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

32.2 7.0 pts below England
School 32.2
Sefton 35.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 17.0% England 36.0% 19.0 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 34.9% England 51.4% 16.5 pts below England
EBacc entry 67.0% England 30.6% 36.4 pts above England
EBacc average point score 2.94 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.57 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

14.15%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

7.93 pts higher than England
School 14.15%
Sefton 6.89%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

43.67%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

27.85 pts higher than England
School 43.67%
Sefton 18.13%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

8.25%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

6.45 pts higher than England
School 8.25%
Sefton 2.08%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

118.0% 25.7 pts above England
King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes
118.0%
Sefton
92.2%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information