Birkenhead High School Academy

About Birkenhead High School Academy

Birkenhead High School Academy is currently rated Good by Ofsted, following a graded inspection in 2023 that saw the school step down from its previous Outstanding rating. The most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of 0.43, which is classified as 'Above average' nationally and places the school second out of 20 secondary schools in the Wirral local authority. This score means that, on average, pupils achieve nearly half a grade more per subject across eight GCSEs than students with similar starting points nationally. To put that in context, the average Progress 8 score for all schools in Wirral is -0.12, so Birkenhead High is performing well above the local norm. The school's Attainment 8 score sits at 47.7, and 72.1% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Just over half of students entered the English Baccalaureate, with 28.7% achieving it at grade 4 or above.

At A-level, the school's sixth form is also rated Good, with students averaging a C+ grade per entry and a points score of 32.29 per entry. The value added score is -0.08, which falls within the 'Average' banding, suggesting that sixth formers make typical progress relative to their prior attainment. Around 12% of A-level entries were graded AAB or higher. In the school's most recent Ofsted inspection, all categories including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were judged Good. The previous inspection in 2015 had rated the school Outstanding across the board, so the 2023 judgement represents a notable shift, though inspectors noted that the quality of education remains strong. The school's Progress 8 score places it in the top 25% nationally, and within the North West region it ranks 58th out of 445 schools.

Birkenhead High is an all-girls state academy with a nursery and a sixth form, catering for pupils from age 3 to 19. It is significantly oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 472 applications for 122 places, with 167 first-preference applications and only 117 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of nearly 4:1. The school has a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, tennis courts, science labs, art studios, music rooms, and a sixth form centre. It offers a wide array of extracurricular activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Young Enterprise, rowing, and gymnastics. The school reports provisions for a wide range of special educational needs, including dyslexia, autism, speech and language difficulties, and physical disabilities. With 18.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a reasonably diverse intake. This is a strong academic choice for girls in Wirral, particularly those aiming for above-average GCSE progress, though families should be prepared for a competitive admissions process.

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