King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes
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King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes is a free school in Bootle for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 708 pupils, 108 more than it has places for. About 62 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 11 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 48% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Fernhill Road, Bootle, L20 6AQ0151 922 3798kingshawthornes.comMrs Andrea St John headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 September 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
106 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 106 | 104 | 64 | 87 | 52 | 45 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 32.2 | 33.4 | 31.4 | 37.8 | 32.2 | 30.1 | 43.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.57 | -0.56 | -0.44 | -1.11 | -0.93 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 17% | 21% | 11% | 30% | 15% | 22% | 39% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 35% | 40% | 31% | 41% | 33% | 38% | 60% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 2.94 | 3.14 | 2.90 | 3.63 | 2.93 | 2.67 | 3.74 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 67% | 68% | 63% | 68% | 40% | 51% | 39% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 29.5 | 30.7 | 27.5 | 34.3 | 30.7 | 27.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 36.1 | 38.7 | 38.9 | 41.8 | 35.4 | 32.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 24.2 | 24.4 | 25.7 | 14.3 | 15.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | – | – | – | 43.8 | 43.8 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 15 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Business (9% here, 51% across England), Biology (44% here, 82% across England), Geography (14% here, 51% across England), Computer Science (20% here, 56% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 108 | 6% | 22% | 40% | 53% | 3,134 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 108 | 8% | 27% | 49% | 54% | 3,111 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 103 | 9% | 24% | 43% | 58% | 3,153 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 85 | 1% | 7% | 19% | 36% | 3,034 of 3,084 |
| Spanish | 76 | 11% | 28% | 36% | 54% | 1,745 of 1,941 |
| History | 59 | 9% | 22% | 39% | 52% | 3,006 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 37 | 5% | 14% | 27% | 51% | 3,065 of 3,116 |
| Business | 32 | 6% | 9% | 9% | 51% | 1,772 of 1,806 |
| Art and Design | 24 | 0% | 38% | 58% | 58% | 2,321 of 2,818 |
| Biology | 23 | 4% | 44% | 70% | 82% | 2,449 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 22 | 14% | 55% | 73% | 81% | 2,279 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 22 | 14% | 50% | 68% | 82% | 2,375 of 2,546 |
| Computer Science | 20 | 5% | 20% | 25% | 56% | 1,757 of 1,861 |
| Statistics | 11 | 9% | 55% | 91% | 51% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 8 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
About 66 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 39% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
The last child to get a place lived 1.7 miles away in 2025, 5.7 miles away in 2024, 1.2 miles away in 2023. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2025. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 1.7 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Secondary | 170 | 279 | 170 | 1.7 miles | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | 145 | 220 | 145 | 5.7 miles | LA |
| 2023 Secondary | 145 | 224 | 145 | 1.2 miles | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
What a home within 1.4 miles of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (49), emotional and mental health (39), Specific learning difficulty (28), language and communications needs (24), Other difficulty or disability (13), Moderate learning difficulty (12).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 708 | 668 | 636 | 553 | 475 | 405 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 62% | 61% | 62% | 60% | 60% | 57% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 17% | 17% | 18% | 20% | 19% | 24% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 29% | 30% | 27% | 27% | 22% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 6% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 85.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 14.2% | 12.3% | 11.3% | 11.1% | 10.2% | 7.8% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.6% | 5.1% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 4.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 8.5% | 7.2% | 5.8% | 4.4% | 3.5% | 3.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 43.7% | 40.9% | 36.4% | 35.5% | 31.5% | 24.4% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 50.0 | 12.7 | 28.6 | 9.3 | 2.7 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 64 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 74%, compared with 95% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 81% | 79% | 84% | 78% |
| Education | 80% | 75% | 79% | 74% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 1% | 0% | 2% |
| Work | 0% | 3% | 4% | 2% |
| Not in education, work or training | 16% | 15% | 3% | 22% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco | Academy | 0.9 miles | 575 | Report card 2026 | 7 | Compare |
| Hillside High School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 785 | Good 2023 | 23 | Compare |
| Litherland High School | Academy | 1.2 miles | 761 | Good 2024 | 19 | Compare |
| Archbishop Beck Catholic College | Roman Catholic | 1.3 miles | 1,142 | Report card 2026 | 15 | Compare |
| Alsop High School | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,336 | Report card 2026 | 0 | Compare |
| Chesterfield High School | Academy | 2.1 miles | 1,692 | Good 2023 | 52 | Compare |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Academy | Academy | 2.3 miles | 613 | No overall grade 2024 | 9 | Compare |
| Dixons Fazakerley Academy | Academy | 2.4 miles | 737 | Requires improvement 2024 | 3 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside High School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 785 | Good 2023 | 23 | Compare |
| Ridgeway High School | Foundation | 6.8 miles | 858 | Good 2024 | 26 | Compare |
| Co-op Academy Bebington | Academy | 7.7 miles | 1,044 | Good 2023 | 20 | Compare |
| Ormiston Chadwick Academy | Academy | 11.2 miles | 884 | Good 2024 | 28 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 11 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 11% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 16. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | well below | -0.30 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 106 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.0 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well below | -0.24 | DfE progress measure; 106 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.07 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well below | -0.21 | 2024/25; 703 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.04 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 106 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well below | -0.09 | 64 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes a good school?
The figures are weak. King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes scores 11 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 48% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 16, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes good at its last full inspection on 27 September 2023.
How good are King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 17% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 32.2, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes have?
708 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 600 places, so it is 118% full.
Is King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2025 the last place went to a child living 1.7 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes?
Pupils were in school 85.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 44% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes?
The average class had 24.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 29% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 81% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Fernhill Road, Bootle, L20 6AQ
- Telephone
- 0151 922 3798
- Website
- www.kingshawthornes.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Andrea St John
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The Great Schools Trust (8 schools)
- Local authority
- Sefton
- Ward
- Derby
- Constituency
- Bootle
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 28 August 2012 (new provision)
- URN
- 138260 · LAESTAB 3434000 · UKPRN 10037668
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Sefton council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2023, 2024, 2025.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.