Birkdale High School
Academy converter · 936 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
Voluntary aided school
Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre
- Pupils on roll
- 822of 1,223 places
- Free school meals
- 32.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 113
- Ofsted
- Good, 29 November 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 176 pupils who finished Year 11 at Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre in 2023, 27% stayed on in Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre’s own sixth form (Sefton average 25%), 60% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 59 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 39% went to university (Sefton 27%, England 37%), and 13% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
A level grades average D+, well below the England average of B-; 5% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Physical Education, Business Studies and Biology.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 84% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Sefton and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 176 | 3,063 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 89% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 27% | 25% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 60% | 53% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 4% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 59 | 2,579 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 78% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 39% | 27% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 13% | 12% | 19% |
| Further education | 8% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 25% | 32% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 15% | 19% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.8 | 42.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 37% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 60% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 14% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.51 | 3.70 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 27% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 31.7 | 31.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.5 | 47.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 23% | 7% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 107 | 95% | 88% | 19% | 22% | 66% |
| English Language | 107 | 95% | 89% | 8% | 20% | 65% |
| English Literature | 105 | 93% | 86% | 12% | 21% | 69% |
| Religious Studies | 95 | 84% | 31% | 18% | 32% | 62% |
| Combined Science | 81 | 72% | 65% | 5% | 9% | 47% |
| History | 55 | 49% | 41% | 11% | 26% | 56% |
| Geography | 35 | 31% | 41% | 20% | 25% | 63% |
| Business Studies | 25 | 22% | 18% | 20% | 20% | 72% |
| Physical Education | 25 | 22% | 11% | 8% | 24% | 60% |
| Biology | 22 | 19% | 23% | 50% | 45% | 95% |
| Chemistry | 22 | 19% | 23% | 36% | 47% | 95% |
| Physics | 22 | 19% | 23% | 36% | 46% | 100% |
| Spanish | 21 | 19% | 19% | 10% | 27% | 67% |
| Film Studies | 18 | 16% | 1% | 33% | 20% | 83% |
| Art and Design | 18 | 16% | 7% | 0% | 24% | 78% |
| French | 9 | 8% | 18% | 22% | 29% | 44% |
| Music | 7 | 6% | 5% | 29% | 33% | 86% |
| Polish | 5 | 4% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Design and Technology | 2 | 2% | 11% | — | 23% | — |
| Russian | 2 | 2% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 1 | 1% | 8% | — | 21% | — |
| Computer Science | 1 | 1% | 13% | — | 30% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Engineering | 22 | 50% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 16 | 36% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 14 | 32% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 94 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 44 | 897 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 24.45 | 29.93 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 5% | 9% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Education | 15 | 34% | 3% |
| Business Studies | 11 | 25% | 13% |
| Biology | 10 | 23% | 20% |
| Sociology | 10 | 23% | 13% |
| Psychology | 9 | 20% | 23% |
| History | 8 | 18% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 16% | 17% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Film Studies | — | — | 2% |
| Law | — | — | 4% |
| Mathematics | — | — | 31% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 24 | 55% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 11 | 25% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 16% | — |
| Medical Science | VRQ Level 3 | 7 | 16% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 16% | — |
| Politics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Politics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Sefton
Chesterfield High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,692 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.4
Deyes High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,336 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Formby High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,157 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.3
Greenbank High School
Academy converter · 1,025 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.6
Hillside High School
Academy sponsor led · 785 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.8
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.