St Edward's College, Liverpool
St Edward's College is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Liverpool, part of The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 3rd-highest of the 42 schools in Liverpool with published results, and 616th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 2.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2022)
- Demand
- 2.2 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Liverpool (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Edward's College in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Edward's College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 53.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 42.8 in Liverpool and 47 across England.
54% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 38% in Liverpool and 47% in England.
That is up from 51.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.2: pupils made below 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 44.6, against 55.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.
Getting a place at St Edward's College
For September 2026 entry, 357 families put St Edward's College as their first choice and 1119 named it as one of their preferences, for 159 places offered. That is 2.2 first choices for every place. 210 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Edward's College are Holly Lodge Girls' College (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.1); West Derby School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.5); Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.7); and Broughton Hall Catholic High School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 39.4).
St Edward's College's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Holly Lodge Girls' CollegeWest Derby SchoolCardinal Heenan Catholic High SchoolBroughton Hall Catholic High School
The trust
St Edward's College is one of 5 schools run by The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
187 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Edward's College (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 43% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (43%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 180 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 92% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 26% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Of the 140 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 64% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 18% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
16% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%), Black (6%) and Asian (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wavertree Technology Park Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is North Drive (adjacent), 330 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Edward's College issued 158 suspensions, 13.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 9 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Edward's College are Runnymede St Edward's Catholic Primary School (under 0.1 miles), Corinthian Community Primary School (0.4 miles), St Paul's and St Timothy's Catholic Infant School (0.5 miles) and St Paul's Catholic Junior School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Runnymede St Edward's Catholic Primary SchoolCorinthian Community Primary SchoolSt Paul's and St Timothy's Catholic Infant SchoolSt Paul's Catholic Junior School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Edward's College has turned around significantly from its previous rating, with strong leadership now in place and a positive, respectful school culture developing. Pupils achieve well across a broad curriculum, with sixth-form students progressing to excellent university destinations. The school excels at offering enriching extra-curricular activities and prioritises reading, helping all pupils including those who join in sixth form to build strong literacy skills.
Key Strengths
- Leadership has improved rapidly with new headteacher and decisive action from governors addressing previous concerns
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum that builds secure knowledge and prepares pupils successfully for sixth form and university
- Strong focus on reading with effective support helping struggling readers catch up quickly
- Extensive extra-curricular activities including sports and music performances, accessible to all pupils
- Pupils' behaviour is improving with most showing respect and good conduct in lessons
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers do not adapt learning activities well enough to pupils' individual needs and starting points, affecting some pupils with SEND
- Attendance is a concern for a small group of vulnerable pupils who miss school frequently
- School has not analysed reasons for absences thoroughly enough and support for these pupils is sometimes ineffective
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Regional and national sports fixtures, prestigious music performances, sixth-form peer mentoring and reading support, leadership roles, community service projects
St Edward's College is a secondary comprehensive school in Liverpool that has made significant positive changes following a period of leadership instability. The school now provides a broad, ambitious curriculum with good outcomes, and pupils benefit from a respectful atmosphere with high expectations for conduct.
About
St Edward's College is a co-educational Catholic school with academy status in the UK located in the Liverpool suburb of West Derby. Founded in 1853 as the Catholic Institute, the college was formerly a boys grammar school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, known widely as the Irish Christian Brothers.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
16.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
187 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.20 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 49.7 to 53.3 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 54% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 53.3 | 54.2% |
| Disadvantaged(33) | - | 44.6 | 39.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(144) | - | 55.3 | 57.6% |
| Boys(94) | - | 52.9 | 55.3% |
| Girls(83) | - | 53.8 | 53% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(7) | - | 49.1 | 57.1% |
| Non mobile(175) | - | 53.4 | 54.9% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 180 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
9
Permanent exclusions
0.78%
Exclusion rate
158
Suspensions
13.62%
Suspension rate
72 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,160 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with St Edward's College
Term dates
St Edward's College is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Liverpool's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Edward's College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Edward's College is in Liverpool; for families living there:
- Liverpool's school travel policy: this document : Home to School Transport Policy 2026-27
- How to apply: Apply for a travel pass
- Post-16 transport: Liverpool states a charge of £680 a year. Source
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 43
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 13
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 43 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 30 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
8 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 Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Edward's College
Will you get a place at St Edward's College? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Edward's College's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Edward's College:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Edward's College.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Liverpool, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Edward's College for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Liverpool got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
1,154 pupils
1,145 places
9 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Liverpool
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Liverpool
Across Liverpool council
Places available
6,108
Applications
5,379
Got 1st preference
68.1%
Got preferred school
89.6%
All secondary applications across Liverpool council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 2.2 first choices per place
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
145
SEN Support
62
EHC Plans
18.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,150
Total Pupils
603
Boys
547
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
65
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,544
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,767
Per pupil
£6398k
Total funding
£158k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.8%
Overall absence
15.3%
Persistent absence
908
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
St Edward's College
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Edward's College
What are GCSE results like at St Edward's College?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Edward's College achieved an Attainment 8 score of 53.3. 54% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Edward's College's Ofsted rating?
St Edward's College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2022, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for St Edward's College?
No fixed boundary. When St Edward's College is oversubscribed, Liverpool allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Edward's College?
St Edward's College was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Edward's College?
Classes at St Edward's College average 24.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Edward's College?
St Edward's College has around 1150 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Edward's College?
6.8% of sessions were missed at St Edward's College in 2024/25. 15.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Edward's College?
Apply through Liverpool's coordinated admissions process, naming St Edward's College on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Edward's College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 43 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 30 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 8 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 Liverpool is 32 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Edward's College?
St Edward's College is at Sandfield Park, Liverpool, Merseyside, L12 1LF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)