Black Horse Hill Infant School, Wirral
Black Horse Hill Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Wirral. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. It was 51% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wirral (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Black Horse Hill Infant School in detail
Black Horse Hill Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "At Black Horse Hill Infant School, we aim to teach the children to recognise and celebrate difference. We have a duty to prepare our children for modern life in Britain. In school and their future workplace they will be working alongside peers and colleagues of different race, religion, gender, age, disability and sexual orientation."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Black Horse Hill Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Black Horse Hill Infant School as their first choice and 44 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Black Horse Hill Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Black Horse Hill Infant School are Black Horse Hill Junior School (under 0.1 miles, 65% reading, 56% maths); West Kirby Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 91% reading, 86% maths); West Kirby St Bridget's CofE Primary School (0.9 miles); and Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary School (1.3 miles).
Black Horse Hill Junior SchoolWest Kirby Primary SchoolWest Kirby St Bridget's CofE Primary SchoolHoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary School
Who goes there
5.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Black Horse Hill Infant School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is West Kirby Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wirral Mount (adjacent), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 53 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Wirral (155).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Black Horse Hill Infant School issued 1 suspension, 0.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Black Horse Hill Infant School are Hilbre High School (0.1 miles), Calday Grange Grammar School (0.7 miles) and West Kirby Grammar School (0.9 miles).
Hilbre High SchoolCalday Grange Grammar SchoolWest Kirby Grammar School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will be part of a warm, welcoming school family where they feel looked after and happy to learn. The school has high expectations for all pupils and helps them achieve well through clear teaching and support tailored to their individual needs. Your child will develop a love of reading, strong behaviour habits, and a good understanding of diversity and British values that prepares them for life in modern Britain.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour and attitudes from pupils throughout the school with a calm, respectful atmosphere
- Strong focus on reading with an effective phonics programme that helps most pupils read with confidence and fluency
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, quickly identifying needs and adapting teaching effectively
- Well-ordered and ambitious curriculum that enriches learning through trips and activities
- High attendance levels with strong support to remove barriers to regular attendance
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, staff do not consistently use assessment information to design learning that helps pupils deepen their knowledge
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
School parliament, trips to local landmarks like Liverpool, sports games at lunchtime, Milkshake Monday awards celebration, friendship bench initiative, before- and after-school club
Black Horse Hill Infant School is a caring and welcoming school where pupils enjoy learning and behave exceptionally well. The school has improved from its previous 'Requires improvement' rating and now provides a good quality of education with high aspirations for all pupils.
At a Glance
23.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Black Horse Hill Infant School
From Black Horse Hill Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Black Horse Hill Infant School
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Black Horse Hill Infant School, with their latest published grades:
- Small Steps Day Nursery and Pre-School - Day nursery, 0.7 milesOfsted, 31 January 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- St Bridget's Pre-School - Pre-school, 0.8 milesOfsted, 2 October 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Small Steps Day Nursery And Pre-School - Day nursery, 0.9 milesOfsted, 8 May 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Small Steps Early Years Centre - Pre-school, 1.0 milesOfsted, 12 December 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Study Time - Pre-school, 1.1 miles
Term dates
Black Horse Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Wirral. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Black Horse Hill Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Black Horse Hill Infant School is in Wirral; for families living there:
Apply to Wirral for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wirral is 15 (the median across 136 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Black Horse Hill Infant School
Will you get a place at Black Horse Hill Infant School?
For 2026 entry it had 26 first choices for 26 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
51%
Available places
92 pupils
180 places
88 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Across Wirral council
Places available
3,820
Applications
3,017
Got 1st preference
95.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Wirral council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the West Kirby Primary planning area (Wirral) will have 283 spare primary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
20.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
102
Total Pupils
54
Boys
48
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£58,209
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,690
Per pupil
£672k
Total funding
£32k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
11.9%
Persistent absence
67
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Black Horse Hill Infant School
Questions parents ask about Black Horse Hill Infant School
What is Black Horse Hill Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Black Horse Hill Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2020 it was rated Requires Improvement.
Is it hard to get a place at Black Horse Hill Infant School?
Black Horse Hill Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 51% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Black Horse Hill Infant School?
Classes at Black Horse Hill Infant School average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Black Horse Hill Infant School?
Black Horse Hill Infant School has around 102 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Black Horse Hill Infant School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Black Horse Hill Infant School in 2024/25. 11.9% of pupils were persistently absent.
What are Black Horse Hill Infant School's term dates?
Black Horse Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Wirral. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Black Horse Hill Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wirral is 15 (the median across 136 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Black Horse Hill Infant School?
Black Horse Hill Infant School is at Saughall Massie Road, West Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside, CH48 6DR.
Sources: Wirral term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)