On Friday, March 1, councils across Merseyside and the UK began sending out offers to pupils for secondary school places starting in summer 2024. Families across the region are eager to discover how the schools they have been offered rank against local and national competitors.
The best performing secondary schools in Merseyside - as well as the whole of the UK - for 2024 have been rated, listed, and ranked in the Sunday Times’ Parent Power Guide and Schools League Table - based on key categories such as exam results and Ofsted ratings.
The education establishments are ranked by academic performance, based on GCSE results, plus A-level results at those schools and colleges that also offer the qualification.
The number of 9, 8, 7, A* and A grades gained at GCSE is calculated as a percentage of the total number of GCSE entries overall. This includes IGCSEs sat in independent schools. A-levels are double weighted. The Parent Power rankings also include the latest Ofsted ratings.
Eight secondary schools in Merseyside made the final shortlist of the best in the UK, with their national rankings ranging from 25th to 358th. This is down from 13 ranked in top echelons in 2023, with the likes of Wirral Grammar School for Boys, St Anselm’s College, Greenbank High School, Tower College, Range High School, King David High School and St Edward's College all dropping out.
Many families will be sending their kids off to ‘big school’ this September - following the completion of National Offer Day and the appeals process with the relevant Local Education Authority - so we have drawn together the list of the best in the region.
Did your child’s school make the rankings in the Sunday Times’ Parent Power Guide for 2024? The list below includes both state and independent secondary schools that made the cut.
1. The Liverpool Blue Coat School
📈 National rank 25. The Blue Coat is selective secondary school. 78.3% of students attained GCSE A*/A/9/8/7. ⭐ Latest Ofsted rating: Good (2022). 📝 "Pupils are extremely proud to attend The Blue Coat School. Staff are caring and supportive ... Leaders have high expectations of what pupils … can achieve." Photo: Google Street View
2. West Kirby Grammar School, Wirral
📈 National rank 160. West Kirby Grammar School is grammar school for girls. 51.8% of students attained GCSE A*/A/9/8/7. ⭐ Latest Ofsted rating: Good (2022). 📝 "Pupils and students share a sense of belonging at this school. They are accepted for who they are. This helps them to feel safe and happy." Photo: Google Street View
3. Calday Grange Grammar School, Wirral
📈 National rank 170. Calday Grange Grammar School is a grammar school for boys. 48.2% of students attained GCSE A*/A/9/8/7. ⭐ Latest Ofsted rating: Good (2019). 📝 "Pupils’ behaviour during lessons is very good. Teachers motivate pupils to do well. During lessons, most pupils show the highest respect for their teachers. They listen politely to their teacher and the responses from their peers ... The school corridors and social spaces are calm" Photo: Google Street View
4. Wirral Grammar School for Girls, Bebington
📈 National rank 175. Wirral Grammar School for Girls is a grammar school. 595% of students attained GCSE A*/A/9/8/7. ⭐ Latest Ofsted rating: Outstanding (2022). 📝 "Students thrive. They feel an immense sense of pride in belonging to a warm and welcoming school community. Pupils and students are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education, employment and/or training." Photo: Google Street View