Knowsley Central School

Special school · Primary, ages 4 to 11 · Mixed

Mossbrow Road, Huyton, Liverpool, L36 7SY

0151 477 8450 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedOutstandingInspected 14 October 2014; confirmed 2025
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%England 62% · 2024/25
Pupils142Room for 110 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 99 in 2019, 100 in 2021, 100 in 2022, 100 in 2023, 106 in 2024, 127 in 2025, 142 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals48%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at the inspection that started on 14 October 2014.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationOutstanding
Outcomes for pupilsOutstanding
Leadership and managementOutstanding
Early yearsOutstanding

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 19 March 2025: Ofsted found the school had maintained its standards.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

What parents say

43 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 3 September 2024 and 1 September 2025.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 98% 89%
My child feels safe at this school 93% 90%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 86% 84%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 26 parents who had raised a concern 85% 76%
My child with SEND gets the support they needOf 43 parents of children with SEND 93% 68%
I would recommend this school to another parent 95%said yes 84%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families (Ofsted puts the response rate at 34%). Figures are the share who agree or strongly agree. England figures are all parents answering the same questions over the same period, for state-funded schools. The scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) agreement, and the dot marks this school among state schools of the same phase that used the same survey questions. The third it falls in is coloured: green for the top third, amber the middle, red the bottom. This survey used Ofsted's previous Parent View questions, which changed in November 2025. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

14 pupils in this year group.

0% — 61 points below the Knowsley average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolKnowsleyEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 61% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 6% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 0% 74% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 0% 70% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 74% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 105 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 104 105

"Not published": No figure published.

Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 62% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Knowsley. The national closing date for primary applications is 15 January, and offers are sent on 16 April.

Admissions dates and schools in Knowsley

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia); Visual impairment; Speech, language and communication needs; Autism; Social, emotional and mental health needs; Moderate learning difficulties; Severe learning difficulties; Profound and multiple learning difficulties.

PupilsThis schoolKnowsleyEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 49.6% 65.3%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 100.0%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.0%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 1.6% 2.5%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 6.9% 13.4%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 23.9% 36.6%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.0 16.4 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 0.0% 7.5% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.13% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 6.8 7.1 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.9 2.9 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 16.9% 12.8%* 14.3%*

Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Nearby special schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Knowsley Central School's Ofsted rating?

Knowsley Central School was rated Outstanding by Ofsted at its inspection in 14 October 2014. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 19 March 2025, Ofsted found the school had maintained its standards.

How did Knowsley Central School do in its SATs?

In 2024/25, 0% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 62 points below the England average of 62%.

Would parents recommend Knowsley Central School?

95% of the 43 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 3 September 2024 and 1 September 2025 said they would recommend Knowsley Central School to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.