Childwall Sports & Science Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 June 2026

Pupils at Childwall Sports and Science Academy, including students in the sixth form, are happy and feel safe. They know that if they have a worry, such as about bullying, staff will not tolerate this and will deal with it quickly and effectively. Pupils enjoy their learning. Because of these factors, most pupils attend school regularly. Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. They are polite, friendly to newcomers and proud of their diverse community. Pupils celebrate and support the differences between each other. They participate in enriching events, such as ‘heritage day’ and ‘culture day'. As a result of this, they are developing into young adults who live out fundamental British values, such as tolerance and individual liberty. Families are welcomed into the school. Most parents and carers would recommend the school to others. Pupils who join the school mid-year largely settle well and feel welcomed. Overall, pupils do not attain highly enough in their examinations at the end of Year 11. Leaders understand the reasons for this and are taking the right action to improve pupils' progress through the curriculum. Students in the sixth form largely attain in line with national averages. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning. Pupils benefit from a wide range of different activities to help them to develop personally. These include ‘STEAM’ club where pupils have opportunities to use their science knowledge in practical, fun ways, such as making bath bombs. Overseas visits, for example, to Alicante, develop pupils’ cultural awareness and language skills. Pupils also join a range of sporting clubs. Additionally, pupils read regularly, which helps them to widen their vocabulary and improve their fluency in reading.

What the school should improve

• Through improving the consistency and effectiveness of teaching across the school, including how teachers identify pupils' misconceptions and address them fully, leaders should continue to raise pupils' achievement further and ensure that this is reflected in more positive examination outcomes, particularly at the end of Year 11.
• Leaders should sharpen their checks on the effectiveness of the strategy to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, so that this strategy is having the full impact that leaders intend.
• Building on the success of their strategies to improve pupils' attendance, leaders should ensure that rates of attendance continue to rise further.
• Leaders should ensure that they meet the government’s expectations for the minimum hours that pupils should attend school each week.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)