Knutsford Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 March 2026

Pupils are proud to belong to this thriving and successful school community. Pupils form respectful, caring relationships with each other and the adults that work with them. This ensures that pupils feel safe and listened to. For many pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, the strength of this pastoral support and care is a key reason that they decide to continue their studies as students in the sixth form. Pupils benefit from a broad and enriching curriculum offer. They attend school regularly and are actively engaged in lessons, where they enjoy learning without disruption. Staff know pupils well and expertly remove any barriers to learning so that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, can access the same ambitious curriculum. Pupils develop a deep body of knowledge across all subjects that supports their high achievement. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, display a high level of independence. The school is a calm and purposeful place to be. If pupils face personal difficulties that affect their wellbeing, they benefit from effective pastoral support. This helps pupils to manage their own emotions and resolve conflicts in a respectful way. All pupils enjoy access to a comprehensive offer of personal development opportunities that extend beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils are active contributors to their school community, for example through their executive pupil councils and student parliament, where they help to make decisions about how the school is run. These opportunities help to develop pupils' confidence, social skills and understanding of what life is like in modern Britain. For example, pupils attend school trips both locally and internationally. Poets visit the school to provide masterclasses, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities are on offer, such as football and dance.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should more closely analyse the participation and performance of different groups of pupils, including those who are vulnerable, so that they can more effectively use this information to inform their priorities for improvement, for example, in their work to improve the personal development and wellbeing provision for pupils.
• Leaders should more carefully track and analyse the quality and impact of the provision for students in the sixth form. This is so that they can make more astute adaptations to support students to achieve highly.

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