Best Schools in Wirral

How many schools are there in Wirral?

Wirral has 81 open schools: 58 state primary, 12 state secondary or all-through, 2 independent, 6 special and 3 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Wirral are rated Outstanding?

10 schools in Wirral were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Thornton Hough Primary School, Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery School, Brackenwood Infant School, Town Lane Infant School, Wirral Grammar School for Girls and 5 more. Counting Good as well, 90% of the 60 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.

Thornton Hough Primary SchoolOur Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolBrackenwood Infant SchoolTown Lane Infant SchoolWirral Grammar School for Girls

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Wirral get the best GCSE results?

Of the 13 schools in Wirral with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Wirral Grammar School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 70.9 and 96% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; West Kirby Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 68.6 and 91% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Wirral Grammar School for Boys (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 68.2 and 94% 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.

Wirral Grammar School for GirlsWest Kirby Grammar SchoolWirral Grammar School for Boys

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Wirral have the best SATs results?

Of the 47 primary schools in Wirral with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Thornton Hough Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Brackenwood Junior School (93% in reading, 91% in maths); and Thurstaston Dawpool CofE Primary School (93% in reading, 90% 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.

Thornton Hough Primary SchoolBrackenwood Junior SchoolThurstaston Dawpool CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Wirral?

Yes. Calday Grange Grammar School, Upton Hall School FCJ, West Kirby Grammar School, Wirral Grammar School for Boys and Wirral Grammar School for Girls are state grammar schools in Wirral. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Calday Grange Grammar SchoolUpton Hall School FCJWest Kirby Grammar SchoolWirral Grammar School for BoysWirral Grammar School for Girls

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Wirral have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Wirral 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 Wirral?

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.