King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes

King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes (formerly The Hawthorne’s Free School) is a secondary free school located on Fernhill Road in Bootle, Merseyside, England, about four miles from Liverpool city centre. The school is located within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton.

King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes
Address
Fernhill Road Bootle , Merseyside , L20 6AQ England
Information
Type	Free school
Established	2012
Department for Education URN	138260 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Headteacher	Mr P Gaul
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11 to 16
Enrolment	217 (2017/18)
Colour(s)	Black & Red
Website	http://www.kingshawthornes.com/

The school opened in September 2012, on the site of the former St George of England Specialist Engineering College (previously St George of England High School). St George of England Specialist Engineering College closed in 2012, along with St Wilfrid's High School in Litherland. The schools closed due to falling pupil numbers, however parents from both schools campaigned for a new secondary free school to be opened in the area instead.

The schools opening was controversial, as staff from the previous schools were not automatically transferred to the new school, and many lost their jobs. This was despite Sefton Council declaring that staff from the former schools should be subject to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, and either be offered continuing employment at the new school or redundancy.[1] The Hawthorne’s Free School claimed that as they were a new school, they were not responsible for the staff at the former schools. Staff from the former schools threatened to take their case to the High Court of Justice, however the council has made an offer to pay the staff redundancy in conjunction with the school.[2]

In the summer of 2018, the school re-branded to a King's Leadership Academy.