The Academy of St Nicholas Review 2026, joint-faith secondary with structured personal development

A joint Catholic and Church of England academy is a distinctive model in Liverpool, and here it shapes daily routines as much as admissions. The Academy of St Nicholas combines a mainstream 11 to 19 offer with a clear personal-development spine, described in school documentation as Curriculum for Life.

Leadership is currently under Mr G. Lloyd (Headteacher), with the senior team and staffing structure set out publicly by the academy.

Academically, the picture is challenging on the published metrics used in this review, with both GCSE and A-level measures sitting below typical England benchmarks. However, the most recent full inspection evidence shows a school with a coherent curriculum model, improving routines, and strong sixth form teaching.

The academy’s identity is stated plainly, a joint-faith school that welcomes students of all faiths and none, and that positions its values around respect, ambition, resilience and compassion. For many families, this means faith is present, but not presented as a barrier to entry for those outside Catholic practice. The admissions framework reflects that balance, splitting places across two categories, one for baptised Catholic applicants and one for faith and community applicants, with defined tie-breaks.

Day-to-day expectations lean on routines, rewards and consistent behaviour systems, with staff aiming for calm corridors and orderly lessons. Where this works, it reduces cognitive load for students who need predictability, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Where it is harder, the published improvement priorities point to social times and consistent application of routines.

A notable part of the culture is how personal development is timetabled rather than left to assemblies and occasional events. Curriculum for Life is framed as preparation for “the tests of life”, and is allocated weekly time across the school. The implication for families is that relationships education, safety, careers thinking and moral discussion are treated as a core entitlement, not an optional add-on.

At GCSE, the academy is ranked 3,772nd in England and 45th in Liverpool for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places it below England average overall.

The supporting GCSE metrics reinforce that picture. Attainment 8 is 27.8, and Progress 8 is -1.27. The EBacc average point score is 2.4, with 4.4% achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure.

At A-level, the sixth form is ranked 2,559th in England and 42nd in Liverpool for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This is also below England average overall.

Grade distribution data indicates 8.05% of entries at A-level achieved A* to B, with 0% recorded at A* and 0% at A. (These figures reflect the published dataset used for this review.)

What this means in practical terms is that families should treat the academy as stronger on structure, curriculum coherence and student support than on headline outcomes, and should use open events and sixth form guidance meetings to test whether the academic offer aligns with their child’s starting points and ambitions.

The curriculum is set out with unusual transparency at Key Stage 3, including lesson allocations by subject. English and mathematics each run at 8 lessons per cycle in Years 7 to 9, science at 6, and religious education at 5. Modern foreign languages are timetabled at 4 to 5 lessons, with Curriculum for Life allocated 2.5 hours per week.

This matters because it signals two things. First, the academy is prioritising core literacy and numeracy time. Second, it is placing a meaningful amount of timetable space into personal development, worship and wider preparation. For students who respond well to consistency and explicit teaching, that structure can be reassuring.

At Key Stage 4, the option suite includes academic and vocational pathways, such as history, geography and Spanish alongside Creative iMedia, hospitality and catering, construction, sport, and health and social care. The implication is choice and relevance, but also the need for careful guidance so students do not narrow prematurely. Families considering vocational pathways should ask how the academy supports progression into Level 3 study, apprenticeships, or employment routes, and how course choices map to those destinations.

For 2023/24 leavers, 44% progressed to university and 11% progressed to further education. Employment was 19%, and apprenticeships were recorded at 0% in the published leaver destinations data for this cohort.

This distribution suggests a mixed destinations profile, with a substantial university pipeline but also a sizeable group moving directly into work. For parents, the key question is how well the academy differentiates preparation for each route. Evidence within the inspection record highlights a planned careers programme with encounters with employers and guidance on next steps, which should support students who are deciding between university, technical routes and direct employment.

The sixth form context locally is also relevant. The post-16 offer connected to the site is presented as All Saints Sixth Form College, with an application process that includes interview and conditional offers ahead of GCSE results, then enrolment activity after results. For families, the practical implication is that Year 11 should treat post-16 planning as a structured process rather than a late-summer decision.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Liverpool City Council, with a published closing date for applications for September 2026 entry of 31 October 2025. The local authority timetable also confirms that applications open on 01 September 2025, and offers are issued on 03 March 2026 because the usual national offer day date falls on a weekend.

The academy’s own admissions policy for 2026 to 2027 sets an admission number of 180 for Year 7. It also states that applicants must complete the local authority preference form and a supplementary application form. Where applications exceed places, priority is given first to looked after and previously looked after children, then to exceptional social or medical need, then the remaining places are split evenly between the Catholic and faith and community categories. Distance to the main entrance is used as a tie-break within categories, with random allocation only where distances are identical and only one place remains.

Sixth form admissions are also defined in the same policy, with capacity referenced as 190 places in Year 12 and a stated preference for progression from within the trust, followed by external applicants where space remains. Families should treat Year 12 entry as course-led and requirements-led, and ask directly about minimum GCSE profiles for specific subjects.

A practical tip for families shortlisting in south Liverpool is to use the FindMySchoolMap Search to understand how distance-based tie-breaks can affect outcomes where categories are oversubscribed, then cross-check annually as patterns shift.

Personal development is delivered as a defined programme, with content covering safety, relationships, diversity and moral discussion, supported by weekly curriculum time. That can benefit students who need explicit teaching around online safety, peer dynamics and decision-making, rather than assuming these skills develop informally.

Safeguarding information and reporting routes are signposted as a dedicated area of the academy’s public-facing information, reflecting the expectation that safeguarding is visible and accessible. The latest inspection record confirms safeguarding arrangements are effective.

For families, the practical question is how concerns are handled and how early help is arranged. A sensible step is to ask at open events how safeguarding logs are triaged, how attendance is followed up, and what the academy’s approach is to reintegration after behavioural incidents, because consistency is central to the experience described in official evidence.

Extracurricular life is described as a mix of lunchtime and after-school clubs, workshops and trips, with named examples including chess, fashion design workshops and Nintendo Club. Official inspection evidence also lists debating, a gamers’ club, basketball, pottery and a foreign-language movie club as part of the activities students can attend.

The strongest implication here is breadth across both enrichment and social belonging. For some students, the key benefit of clubs is not a CV line, it is attachment to school and a reason to stay for the full day. Pottery and film clubs, for example, can be particularly important for students who are less sports-focused but still need structured social spaces.

Careers education is positioned as a core pillar rather than a small programme for Year 11 only, with public documentation describing careers guidance across Years 7 to 13. Families should ask what employer encounters look like by year group, and how the academy supports students seeking technical routes as well as university.

The published day structure indicates a start point at 08:40, with the final period ending at 15:00, and lunch running on a split schedule by year group. The academy also states a weekly education offer of 32.5 hours.

For travel, the trust’s sixth form site guidance describes Liverpool South Parkway as a short walk from the site, which is useful for families relying on rail connections across Merseyside. The academy also publishes information about a dedicated school bus route for students travelling from Speke, including stop timings.

Wraparound childcare is not typically a feature of secondary provision, and the academy’s published information focuses more on clubs and enrichment than on childcare-style before and after school care. Families who need early drop-off or late collection should ask directly what supervised provision exists beyond the formal timetable.

• Academic outcomes are a concern on the published measures. GCSE and A-level rankings sit below England average, and the Progress 8 score is negative. This may still suit some students, but it increases the importance of understanding set structures, intervention, and how teaching is adapted where gaps persist.

• Faith criteria matter for Year 7 entry. The admissions framework splits places between baptised Catholic applicants and a faith and community category, with distance tie-breaks within categories. Families should read the criteria carefully and check what evidence is required for their category.

• Behaviour consistency is part of the improvement story. Official evidence highlights strong routines for most pupils, with social times identified as an area where a small minority do not follow expectations. Families should ask what supervision looks like at breaks and lunchtimes, and how behaviour is reset after incidents.

• Post-16 planning should start early. The published sixth form process involves application, interview and conditional offers ahead of results. Students who leave it late may find courses full or option blocks fixed.

The Academy of St Nicholas reads as a structured, values-led school with a clear curriculum model, an explicit personal-development programme, and an admissions framework designed to reflect its joint-faith identity. The challenge is that published attainment and progress indicators are weak, which means fit and support matter more than marketing. Best suited to families who value routine, pastoral structure and clear expectations, and who will actively engage with transition, curriculum choices and post-16 planning.