St Anselm's College, Prenton

From the headteacher's welcome: "Thank you for your interest in the 6th Form at St Anselm’s College. We are a high performing 6th Form and our A Level (GCE) results always display significant value added from GCSE results."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include rugby, hockey, badminton, cross-country, choir, guitar, chess, Lego, STEM and art.

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 24 June 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at St Anselm's College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 63.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.2 in Wirral and 47 across England.

88% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Wirral and 47% in England.

That is up from 57.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.03: pupils made about 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 58.9, against 63.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 4.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Spanish.

St Anselm's College 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, 155 families put St Anselm's College as their first choice and 320 named it as one of their preferences, for 157 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

St Anselm's College 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, St Anselm's College 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 St Anselm's College are Birkenhead High School Academy (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.1); Birkenhead Park School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 39.1); Ridgeway High School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.7); and Woodchurch High School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.5).

St Anselm's College's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

St Anselm's College is one of 5 schools run by The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

377 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Anselm's College (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 84% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (84%).

Of the 162 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 9% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 105 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 53% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 22% into work. 26% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

10.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Asian (7%).

In 2026, 48 pupils (4.8%) received SEN support and 16 (1.6%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Birkenhead Park Rail Station, about 1050 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Manor Hill (adjacent), 50 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 403 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Wirral (155), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Anselm's College issued 25 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to St Anselm's College are Co-op Academy Portland (0.7 miles), Bidston Avenue Primary School (0.7 miles), Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School (0.7 miles) and Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.