Best Schools in Southport

How many schools are there in Southport?

Southport has 33 open schools: 21 state primary, 5 state secondary or all-through, 5 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Southport?

None of the 27 graded schools in Southport currently holds an Outstanding rating. 25 are rated Good, so 93% 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 Southport get the best GCSE results?

Of the 6 schools in Southport with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Birkdale High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.7 and 60% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Greenbank High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.9 and 47% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Meols Cop High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 42.9 and 40% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Birkdale High SchoolGreenbank High SchoolMeols Cop High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Southport have the best SATs results?

Of the 19 primary schools in Southport with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Philip's Church of England Primary School (87% in reading, 87% in maths); Kew Woods Primary School (89% in reading, 84% in maths); and Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre (89% in reading, 81% 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 Philip's Church of England Primary SchoolKew Woods Primary SchoolKings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Southport?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in Southport?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Sefton published how far the last place offered went at this school: Birkdale Primary School, 1.029 miles for 2022 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Birkdale Primary School

Source: Sefton admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Southport?

Apply to your council - Sefton or Lancashire, depending on your address - 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.