Calday Grange Grammar School, Wirral

In its own words: "We seek to help students fulfil their ambitions by fostering a climate of high expectations and tailored support. We ask that our school community respects the name of the school and the individuals within it. Respect is a value that permeates everything and underpins relationships between students and their peers and staff and students alike."

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is my privilege to be the Headteacher of this warm and welcoming school. We strive for academic excellence, but our success is built upon strong pastoral care and developing the whole child. It would not be an exaggeration to state that Calday offers ‘more than an education’."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, hockey, cricket, tennis, athletics, basketball, swimming and cross-country.

Coming up: an open day on Thursday 26 November 2026, an open day on Thursday 17 December 2026, an open day on Thursday 28 January 2027 and an open day on Thursday 25 February 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Calday Grange Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 63.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in Wirral and 47 across England.

93% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Wirral and 47% in England.

That is down from 68.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.31: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 63.3, against 63.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 0.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were History, Spanish and Biology.

Calday Grange Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 222 families put Calday Grange Grammar School as their first choice and 370 named it as one of their preferences, for 202 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 22 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Calday Grange Grammar School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Calday Grange Grammar School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Wirral's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Wirral has 6 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Calday Grange Grammar School are Hilbre High School (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.8); West Kirby Grammar School (1.2 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 68.6); Pensby High School (2.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.9); and Upton Hall School FCJ (2.9 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 65.6).

Calday Grange Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

358 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Calday Grange Grammar School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 66% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (66%).

Of the 221 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 5% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 206 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 64% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 20% into work. 32% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

7.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (78%), Asian (8%) and Mixed (5%).

In 2026, 109 pupils (7.3%) received SEN support and 15 (1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

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 Caldy Grammar School (w-bound), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Calday Grange Grammar School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 60 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).

In 2024/25, Calday Grange Grammar School issued 35 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Calday Grange Grammar School are West Kirby St Bridget's CofE Primary School (0.6 miles), Black Horse Hill Junior School (0.7 miles), Black Horse Hill Infant School (0.7 miles) and West Kirby Primary School (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.