Best Schools in Birkenhead

How many schools are there in Birkenhead?

Birkenhead has 21 open schools: 14 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through, 4 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Birkenhead are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Birkenhead was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Kilgarth School. Counting Good as well, 75% of the 16 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Kilgarth School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Birkenhead get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Birkenhead with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Prenton High School for Girls, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.8 and 28% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Birkenhead Park School, with an Attainment 8 score of 39.1 and 25% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Kilgarth School, with an Attainment 8 score of 8.6 and 0% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Prenton High School for GirlsBirkenhead Park SchoolKilgarth School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Birkenhead have the best SATs results?

Of the 12 primary schools in Birkenhead with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Anne's Catholic Primary School (84% in reading, 77% in maths); Holy Cross Catholic Primary School (73% in reading, 87% in maths); and Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School (83% in reading, 67% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Anne's Catholic Primary SchoolHoly Cross Catholic Primary SchoolBirkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Birkenhead?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Birkenhead selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Birkenhead have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Birkenhead have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Wirral allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Birkenhead?

Apply to Wirral through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.