Birkenhead High School Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,226 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.5
Academy converter
Wirral Grammar School for Girls
- Pupils on roll
- 1,224of 1,207 places
- Free school meals
- 10.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 180
- Ofsted
- Outstanding, 6 December 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Wirral Grammar School for Girls (URN 105098, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 183 pupils who finished Year 11 at Wirral Grammar School for Girls in 2023, 72% stayed on in Wirral Grammar School for Girls’ own sixth form (Wirral average 38%), 3% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 139 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 68% went to university (Wirral 39%, England 37%), and 43% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 69.3 against 46.1 across England and 45.3 in Wirral, with 92% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%) — as a selective grammar school, Wirral Grammar School for Girls admits pupils by test at 11, which drives these figures.
Business Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 53% of the year group took it, against 18% 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 Wirral and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 183 | 3,848 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 97% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 96% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 72% | 38% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 18% | 19% | 13% |
| — further education college | 3% | 25% | 37% |
| — other education | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 2% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 3% | 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 | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 139 | 3,298 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 68% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 43% | 23% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 18% | 25% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 16% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 69.3 | 45.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 92% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 99% | 62% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 79% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 6.44 | 3.96 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 11% | 33% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 65.6 | 32.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 69.7 | 51.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 6% | 6% | 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 | 180 | 100% | 88% | 47% | 22% | 99% |
| English Language | 180 | 100% | 89% | 47% | 20% | 98% |
| English Literature | 179 | 99% | 86% | 53% | 21% | 99% |
| Biology | 120 | 67% | 23% | 58% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 120 | 67% | 23% | 48% | 46% | 99% |
| Chemistry | 119 | 66% | 23% | 56% | 47% | 98% |
| Business Studies | 96 | 53% | 18% | 63% | 20% | 99% |
| History | 92 | 51% | 41% | 50% | 26% | 95% |
| French | 82 | 46% | 18% | 60% | 29% | 95% |
| Spanish | 82 | 46% | 19% | 39% | 27% | 91% |
| Religious Studies | 69 | 38% | 31% | 77% | 32% | 96% |
| Geography | 65 | 36% | 41% | 68% | 25% | 97% |
| Combined Science | 60 | 33% | 65% | 22% | 9% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 57 | 32% | 11% | 79% | 23% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 45 | 25% | 13% | 47% | 30% | 96% |
| Fine Art | 44 | 24% | 9% | 77% | 28% | 100% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 30 | 17% | 8% | 87% | 21% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 28 | 16% | 11% | 57% | 24% | 100% |
| Dance | 24 | 13% | 1% | 50% | 27% | 96% |
| Drama | 19 | 11% | 7% | 74% | 27% | 95% |
| German | 19 | 11% | 5% | 53% | 33% | 89% |
| Music | 18 | 10% | 5% | 67% | 33% | 94% |
| Classical Greek | 3 | 2% | 0% | — | 92% | — |
| Psychology | 1 | 1% | 3% | — | 22% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 273 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 132 | 1,844 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B+ | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 42.27 | 35.37 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 25% | 16% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 53 | 40% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 44 | 33% | 17% |
| Psychology | 41 | 31% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 40 | 30% | 31% |
| Religious Studies | 25 | 19% | 4% |
| Business Studies | 22 | 17% | 13% |
| Law | 20 | 15% | 4% |
| English Literature | 19 | 14% | 11% |
| English Language | 19 | 14% | 4% |
| Fine Art | 18 | 14% | 3% |
| Sociology | 17 | 13% | 13% |
| History | 11 | 8% | 13% |
| Physics | 11 | 8% | 12% |
| Product Design | 10 | 8% | 2% |
| Geography | 8 | 6% | 10% |
| Further Mathematics | 7 | 5% | 5% |
| Computer Science | 7 | 5% | 5% |
| Spanish | 6 | 5% | 2% |
| Physical Education | 6 | 5% | 3% |
| Drama | 6 | 5% | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| D and T Textiles Technology | — | — | 0% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 45 | 34% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 22 | 17% | — |
Other secondary schools in Wirral
Birkenhead Park School
Academy sponsor led · 731 pupils
71% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.9
Calday Grange Grammar School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,493 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 68.1
Co-op Academy Bebington
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,044 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.3
Hilbre High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,154 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.0
Pensby High School
Foundation school · sixth form · 915 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.8
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.