Best Schools in Prenton

These schools serve pupils with particular needs, so they aren't ranked against mainstream schools on exam results. Places are usually arranged through the council, often via an Education, Health and Care plan.

The Observatory SchoolAges 7-16 · Good

Questions parents ask about schools in Prenton

How many schools are there in Prenton?

Prenton has 12 open schools: 7 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Prenton?

None of the 9 graded schools in Prenton currently holds an Outstanding rating. 8 are rated Good, so 89% are 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.

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Prenton get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Prenton with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Anselm's College (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 63.1 and 88% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Birkenhead High School Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.1 and 44% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Ridgeway High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 37.7 and 21% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Anselm's College Birkenhead High School Academy Ridgeway High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Prenton have the best SATs results?

Of the 7 primary schools in Prenton with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Paul's Catholic Primary School (87% in reading, 87% in maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead (86% in reading, 78% in maths); and Co-op Academy Hillside (83% in reading, 74% 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 Paul's Catholic Primary School St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead Co-op Academy Hillside

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Prenton?

Yes. St Anselm's College is a state grammar school in Prenton. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

St Anselm's College

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Prenton have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Prenton 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 Prenton?

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. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.