Students across Knowsley are picking up the borough’s best ever GCSE results today, with significant increases in pass rates recorded.
Across the borough, provisional results show there has been an incredible 7% increase in students gaining a pass at Grade 4 and above in both English and Maths.
Meanwhile, there is a 3.5% increase in strong passes (Grade 5 and above) in both subjects, too.
In fact, Knowsley’s results are up on every key measure, meaning the borough is celebrating its highest ever pass rate at GCSE.
And the borough is bucking the national trend, with overall pass rates actually declining across the UK this year.
Some of this success can be attributed to an intense focus on the quality of Maths teaching in the borough over the past two years, thanks to a project funded by the DfE and led by Knowsley Council. This has seen significant investment across all secondary schools in the borough to deliver advanced training to all Maths teachers, enabling them to deliver the highest quality teaching to all Knowsley pupils.
The results of this work are now clear to see in the results of the class of 2025 – with Maths passes at Grade 4 the highest ever seen in Knowsley – up 6.7% to 52.4%; and the number of pupils achieving a Grade 5 in Maths also up by 4.7% to 30.7%.
Halewood Academy was one of the highest performing schools in the borough this year, and also the most improved. The number of pupils achieving a Grade 4 or above in both English and Maths was up by 13%, bringing it up to 56.1% of pupils.
Cllr David Lonergan, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said:
“Congratulations to everyone in Knowsley collecting GCSE results today. I’m so delighted and proud to say that the borough has today recorded its best ever GCSE results, which means even more of our students have achieved fantastic results than ever before. It has been wonderful seeing so many happy children and proud parents, carers and teachers as the results were opened this morning.
“It never fails to impress me just how hardworking, dedicated and determined our young people are, and it’s been lovely to hear all their ambitions for the future and the excitement over their next steps. It’s also a testament to the teachers, school staff and support from families, which also play their part in today’s results.
“We know that there is still work to be done for our schools to close the gap with the national average, but we’ve always known this wouldn’t happen overnight. However today’s results are a solid indication that the hard work being put in by the local authority, in partnership with our schools, is very much taking us in the right direction – this is fantastic news for Knowsley families.”
Take a look at our roundup of photos and student success stories from GCSE results day 2025 in Knowsley.
What’s next for Knowsley pupils?
Students will now be finalising their choices for next year, with the majority expected to go on to study Level 2 or 3 qualifications in Colleges, Sixth Forms and other further education establishments.
In fact, last year, 88% of school leavers in Knowsley progressed into an educational setting to study Level 2 or 3 qualifications (A Levels, T Levels or BTECs).
In addition, 97.5% of school leavers (from Knowsley secondary schools) had in place a dedicated pathway into education, employment or training post-16. That is higher than the national rate (94.6%), North West rate (95.6%) and the highest rate in the Liverpool City Region.
At present, further education in Knowsley is available at:
Knowsley Community College offering a range of Level 1 to 3 vocational courses and apprenticeships as well as supported learning for Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities (SEND) students and GCSEs English, Maths and Science
All Saints Catholic High School Sixth Form offering a range of Level 3 vocational courses in Business, Health and Social care, Uniformed Public Services and Sport alongside A Level Art, Graphics and Textiles
Bluebell Park – post 16 provision for young people with complex needs including independent living skills alongside creative, sports, horticulture and core curriculum
Alt Bridge School – post-16 provision for young people with Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs) with qualifications in life and living skills, employability and Duke of Edinburgh as well as continuing with English and Maths GCSEs and functional skills
Flourish Further Education – 19 to 25 provision for young people with very high and complex needs providing an individualised sensory curriculum and life skills
Other popular choices which border Knowsley are:
Carmel Sixth Form College (less than a mile from Knowsley)
Cronton and Riverside College (0.2 miles from Knowsley)
Winstanley College
Hugh Baird College
St Helens College