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Schools across Wirral

Local authority · 136 schools across 9 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Wirral (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wirral (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Wirral →

Schools in Wirral (136)

Showing 20 of 136 schools

Total Schools

136

90 primary · 20 secondary

Total Pupils

50,451

87% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

39

6 outstanding · 33 good

Capacity

58,175

7,724 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

33
95
Outstanding: 6
Good: 33
Requires Improvement: 2
Not inspected: 95

Best Schools in Wirral

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

36.1

GCSE Eng+Maths

31.6%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

87% full
25,132 pupils28,961 capacity

3,829 spare places

Secondary Schools

89% full
20,670 pupils23,127 capacity

2,457 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

7.2%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

19.2%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

110

2024/25

Absence trend across Wirral schools

5.8%
18/19
5.4%
20/21
8.4%
21/22
7.8%
22/23
7.5%
23/24
7.2%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

8%

Plans Issued

1,328

Assessment Requests

1,401

Tribunal Cases

30

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

32%
2019
53%
2020
18%
2021
36%
2022
33%
2023
13%
2024
8%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

3,851 admissions

56

Lodged

(1.5%)

30

Heard

4

Successful

(13%)

Primary (infant classes)

3,209 admissions

49

Lodged

(1.5%)

26

Heard

2

Successful

(8%)

Secondary

3,976 admissions

530

Lodged

(13.3%)

414

Heard

96

Successful

(23%)

Total

7,827 admissions

586

Lodged

(7.5%)

444

Heard

100

Successful

(23%)

Total appeals lodged per year

1549
2019
1440
2020
1171
2021
1305
2022
1124
2023
1279
2024
1534
2025
1221
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Wirral

Wirral

80 schools

Birkenhead

21 schools

Wallasey

18 schools

Prenton

12 schools

Woodchurch

1 schools

Leasowe

1 schools

Merseyside

1 schools

Bright Street

1 schools

WIRRAL

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Wirral

How many schools are there in Wirral?

Wirral has 136 open schools: 90 state primary, 21 state secondary or all-through, 4 independent, 16 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Wirral are rated Outstanding?

14 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, Elleray Park School and 9 more. Counting Good as well, 87% of the 105 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 SchoolElleray Park School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Wirral get the best GCSE results?

Of the 25 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 75 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, St Anselm's College, 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 SchoolSt Anselm's CollegeUpton 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.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables