Hugh Baird College, Bootle

In its own words: "With more than 5,000 students, over 300 courses, and an extensive range of subject areas and qualifications, we’re proud to be 1 of only 3 Ofsted outstanding further education colleges in the North West. We deliver courses across an extensive range of provisions, from apprenticeships, to T-levels, A-levels, university level courses and adult learning, with dedicated campuses and employment-focused results."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 10 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2023, pupils at Hugh Baird College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 15.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 42.4 in Sefton and 47 across England.

13% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 37% in Sefton and 46% in England.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2023, was -2.53: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level.

Of the 91 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2022/23, 59% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

Of the 1005 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 17% went on to university or other higher education, 9% to apprenticeships and 30% into work. 2% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

The nearest railway station is Bootle Oriel Road Rail Station, about 430 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Balliol Road (adjacent), 40 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hugh Baird College stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 661 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Sefton (165), as is usual near a town centre.