This Friday, Year Six pupils across England and Wales will find out whether they will be attending their first choice secondary schools, in September.
Councils across Liverpool and Merseyside will send offers of secondary school places from Friday, March 1, after applications closed on in October. Places will be sent to parents via email, in the majority of cases.
As parents prepare to see whether their children have been accepted to start their dream schools, we have created a list of all of the 'top' secondary schools in Liverpool, which currently hold Ofsted's highest 'outstanding' mark.
While concerns have been shared regarding Ofsted's single-word judgements, alongside calls for reform, they are currently one way by which parents decide which schools to send their children to. As of February 29, 2024, 11 secondary schools* in Liverpool are rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, the top ranking out of four possible outcomes, with 'inadequate' being the lowest mark. See if your child's preferred secondary school is featured below.
Please note, some schools featured in this list have not been inspected for a number of years.
1. Archbishop Blanch C of E High School, Liverpool
Published in March 2020, the Ofsted report for Archbishop Blanch C of E High School reads: “Pupils and students are exceptionally proud to be part of such a close-knit, friendly and welcoming school community. They thoroughly enjoy coming to school and they thrive in all that they do. The pupils and students to whom we spoke said that they feel very safe. They are extremely well cared for." Photo: Google Street View
2. Auckland College, Liverpool
Published in April 2019, the Ofsted report for Auckland College states: “The independent school standards are met. Due to excellent teaching, pupils exhibit exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. They become confident, resilient learners. Teachers and teaching assistants enable pupils to realise their full potential and prepare them very well for the next stage of their education." An additional inspection took place in March 2022. Photo: Google Street View
3. Bank View High School, Liverpool
Published in April 2019, the Ofsted report for Bank View High School reads: “Leaders check diligently on the quality of teaching. They use a variety of different approaches to ensure that they have very detailed and up-to-date knowledge of the standard of teaching throughout the school. The systems used to monitor teaching ensure that teachers receive support and challenge to improve their practice. The least- experienced teachers continue to require this support." Photo: Bank View High School
4. The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool.
Published in February 2015, the Ofsted report for The Belvedere Academy states: “Teaching is of a high quality. Teachers have high expectations of all students. Students regularly enter into a detailed dialogue with their teachers about how to improve their work, are challenged further, and make rapid and sustained progress as a result.” Photo: Google Street View