Knutsford Academy

About Knutsford Academy

Knutsford Academy holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained since its most recent graded inspection in 2011 and confirmed in an ungraded inspection in 2021. The school's Progress 8 score, which measures how much pupils improve between Key Stage 2 and GCSEs compared with the national average, sits at -0.03. That is a fraction below zero, meaning pupils make about as much progress as the average student nationally, but it is notably stronger than the Cheshire East local authority average of -0.17. In fact, the academy ranks 10th out of 21 secondary schools in the borough on this metric, placing it in the top half locally. The Attainment 8 score of 54.2 indicates that the typical pupil achieves the equivalent of a strong pass across their best eight GCSE subjects, while 67.4 per cent of students secure a grade 5 or above in English and maths — a solid benchmark for a comprehensive school.

At A-level, the sixth form delivers results that are broadly in line with expectations. The school's value-added score of 0.1 is positive, suggesting students make slightly more progress than similar students nationally, and the average points per entry of 36.58 equates to a B- grade. Just under 17 per cent of entries achieve AAB or higher in at least two facilitating subjects, and the best three A-levels average out at a B-. Ofsted rated the sixth form provision as Good in 2011, and the school's leadership and management also received a Good judgement. The Progress 8 breakdown shows that pupils perform particularly well in English, with a score of +0.13, while maths progress is also slightly above average at +0.05. The weakest area is the open element, which includes subjects like arts and vocational qualifications, where progress dips to -0.11.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 429 applications for 229 places, with 239 families listing it as their first preference. That ratio of 1.87 applicants per place reflects its popularity among local families. Facilities are generous for a state secondary, including a swimming pool, sports hall, tennis courts, playing fields, a sixth form centre, and a chapel. The co-curricular offer is broad, with clubs ranging from gardening and chess to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Model UN, plus sports including netball, rugby, and dance. The school supports a wide range of special educational needs, from dyslexia and autism to speech and language difficulties and physical disabilities. Knutsford Academy suits families who want a large, well-established comprehensive with a strong sixth form, decent GCSE outcomes above the local average, and a wide choice of activities — all within a single campus in Cheshire East.

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