Schools in Merseyside

How many schools are there in Merseyside?

Merseyside has 7 open schools: 3 state primary, 1 independent and 3 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Merseyside?

None of the 7 graded schools in Merseyside currently holds an Outstanding rating. 7 are rated Good, so 100% are Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Source: Ofsted

Which primary schools in Merseyside have the best SATs results?

Of the 3 primary schools in Merseyside with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Gregory's Catholic Primary School (97% in reading, 86% in maths); Allanson Street Primary School (72% in reading, 72% in maths); and Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School (62% in reading, 72% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Gregory's Catholic Primary SchoolAllanson Street Primary SchoolOur Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Do schools in Merseyside have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Merseyside have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Merseyside?

Apply to your council - Liverpool, St. Helens or Wirral, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.