Birkenhead High School Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,226 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.5
Academy converter
St John Plessington Catholic College
- Pupils on roll
- 1,556of 1,800 places
- Free school meals
- 42.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 267
- Ofsted
- Good, 22 November 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: St John Plessington Catholic College (URN 105109, until 1 December 2012).
What the data says
Of the 261 pupils who finished Year 11 at St John Plessington Catholic College in 2023, 36% stayed on in St John Plessington Catholic College’s own sixth form (Wirral average 38%), 34% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 132 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 48% went to university (Wirral 39%, England 37%), and 9% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 37.2 against 46.1 across England and 45.3 in Wirral, with 29% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 90% 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 Wirral and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 261 | 3,848 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 82% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 36% | 38% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 10% | 19% | 13% |
| — further education college | 34% | 25% | 37% |
| — other education | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | 132 | 3,298 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 48% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 9% | 23% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 29% | 25% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 16% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 37.2 | 45.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 29% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 50% | 62% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 27% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.11 | 3.96 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 35% | 33% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.5 | 32.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 42.0 | 51.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 8% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 267 | 100% | 89% | 7% | 20% | 59% |
| Mathematics | 266 | 100% | 88% | 10% | 22% | 55% |
| English Literature | 261 | 98% | 86% | 5% | 21% | 62% |
| Religious Studies | 239 | 90% | 31% | 10% | 32% | 44% |
| Combined Science | 204 | 76% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 25% |
| Geography | 185 | 69% | 41% | 10% | 25% | 51% |
| History | 69 | 26% | 41% | 7% | 26% | 48% |
| Spanish | 58 | 22% | 19% | 14% | 27% | 57% |
| Design and Technology | 43 | 16% | 11% | 2% | 23% | 44% |
| Physics | 41 | 15% | 23% | 24% | 46% | 88% |
| Biology | 41 | 15% | 23% | 24% | 45% | 88% |
| Chemistry | 41 | 15% | 23% | 34% | 47% | 85% |
| Computer Science | 17 | 6% | 13% | 12% | 30% | 59% |
| Art and Design | 16 | 6% | 7% | 38% | 24% | 81% |
| Chinese | 13 | 5% | 1% | 62% | 75% | 100% |
| Photography | 4 | 1% | 6% | — | 19% | — |
| Polish | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 61 | 84% | — |
| Sports Studies | 51 | 70% | — |
| Health Studies | 43 | 59% | — |
| Multimedia | 37 | 51% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | 27% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 17 | 23% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 15 | 21% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 10 | 14% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 9 | 12% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 204 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 73 | 1,844 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 27.16 | 35.37 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 4% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 24 | 33% | 23% |
| Sociology | 20 | 27% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 16 | 22% | 2% |
| History | 15 | 21% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 13 | 18% | 31% |
| Product Design | 8 | 11% | 2% |
| English Literature | 8 | 11% | 11% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 10% | 4% |
| Geography | 7 | 10% | 10% |
| Chemistry | 6 | 8% | 17% |
| Biology | 6 | 8% | 20% |
| D and T Textiles Technology | — | — | 0% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 28 | 38% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 23 | 32% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 18% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 11 | 15% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 10% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 8% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
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.