School Chooser

Knotty Ash Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy252 pupilsNurseryLiverpool
School Chooser Score
57
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 26 to 83, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 67% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, March 2022
Reached the expected level at 1160%England 63%
Attendance94.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families27%About the same as most schools in England
PlacesFull252 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher17.7School workforce census

Knotty Ash Primary School is a converter academy in Liverpool for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 252 pupils, 42 more than it has places for. About 27 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 57 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 67% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Thomas Lane, Liverpool, L14 5NX0151 228 4222knottyashprimaryschool.co.ukMs Roanne Clements head teacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 16 March 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1160%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 55%55%20172018: 50%50%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 53%53%20232024: 55%55%20242025: 60%60%2025
Since 2017: +5%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024†2023†2019†2018†2017†LiverpoolEngland
Pupils tested303131332829
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths60%55%53%70%50%55%58%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%0%3%6%4%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0105.0104.0105.0103.0102.0104.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0102.0103.0105.0102.0100.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score109.0104.0104.0108.0106.0105.0104.7105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard77%74%65%76%64%66%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard77%65%71%79%64%69%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%68%77%79%68%72%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.2+1.9-1.2+0.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.8+1.5-1.3-1.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged42%33%25%58%36%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged72%68%64%76%59%58%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Knotty Ash Primary School, the school this one replaced in August 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. None of the gaps is 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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
42%72%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
69%50%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

Admissions policy not published.

Full226 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
108% full

The school is full, with 16 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Liverpool council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

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.

Pupils on roll252Census January 2026
Places210120% full
Pupils from low-income families27%27% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English13%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%37 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan16%41 pupils with a plan
Average class size18.88 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils25%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)28%£96,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls137 / 115
White British pupils82%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 18 pupils, for hearing impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Liverpool with hearing impairment provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (30), language and communications needs (20), Hearing impairment (16), emotional and mental health (5), Physical disability (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025
Pupils on roll252248
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals27%28%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language13%12%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans16%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%6.2%6.0%7.0%3.7%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%4.7%4.8%5.4%2.3%3.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%1.5%1.3%1.6%1.4%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.0%16.6%17.3%20.5%7.4%8.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0

† These attendance figures are for Knotty Ash Primary School, the school this one replaced in August 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers14.0full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher17.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants28.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,002
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.42024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£10,906England £7,128. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£10,381England £7,587. Total £2.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,197England £3,405
Money in reserve-15%In the red: -£375k, -£1,536 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£128kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£10,906spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m40212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate101 per 1,000 people11% higher than the England average
Typical house price£176,500Liverpool
Nearest bus stop130 mOak Grange, 16 stops within 500 m

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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Margaret Mary's Catholic Junior SchoolRoman Catholic910 m457Good 202484Compare
Blackmoor Park Junior SchoolCouncil960 m343Report card 20263Compare
St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant SchoolRoman Catholic0.6 miles375Not inspectedCompare
Blueberry ParkCouncil0.7 miles319Report card 20264Compare
Malvern Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles486No overall grade 202596Compare
Blackmoor Park Infants' SchoolAcademy0.8 miles316Requires improvement 20230Compare
Broadgreen PrimaryFoundation0.8 miles246Good 202244Compare
Dovecot Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles192Requires improvement 20241Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Knotty Ash Primary School with the 45 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 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats67%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 57 is 14 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 10 · middle 44 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 45 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Knotty Ash Primary School, 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.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic2.5 miles202Outstanding 202390Compare
Eaves Primary SchoolCouncil7.1 miles233Good 202368Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 57 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 57% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 26 to 83. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.02
2025 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection16% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 4.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.05
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.01
2024/25; 200 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 pupils
What parents say0%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 Knotty Ash Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Knotty Ash Primary School scores 57 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 67% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 26 to 83, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Knotty Ash Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Knotty Ash Primary School good at its last full inspection on 16 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Knotty Ash Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 60% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Knotty Ash Primary School have?

252 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 120% full.

Is Knotty Ash Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 16 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Knotty Ash Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Knotty Ash Primary School?

The average class had 18.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Knotty Ash Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for hearing impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Thomas Lane, Liverpool, L14 5NX
Telephone
0151 228 4222
Website
www.knottyashprimaryschool.co.uk
Head teacher
Ms Roanne Clements
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Lydiate Learning Trust (4 schools)
Local authority
Liverpool
Ward
Sandfield Park
Constituency
Liverpool West Derby
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2024 (academy converter)
URN
150850 · LAESTAB 3412086 · UKPRN 10094936
Formerly
Knotty Ash Primary School

Where these figures come from