Co-op Academy Bebington
85%
Capacity
1,062
Pupils
2.2x
Demand
About Co-op Academy Bebington
Co-op Academy Bebington is a mixed, non-faith secondary school in the Wirral local authority, serving 1,062 pupils aged 11 to 18. In the Wirral’s league table of 20 state secondaries, it ranks 13th by Progress 8 score, placing it in the bottom half of the local area. The top-performing peers nearby are Upton Hall School FCJ, Birkenhead High School Academy, and West Kirby Grammar School, all of which achieve significantly higher Progress 8 scores. The school is also within half a kilometre of Wirral Grammar School for Girls, one of only two Outstanding-rated secondaries in the borough. Co-op Academy Bebington itself was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2017. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 405 applications for 184 places, with 181 first-preference applications and 180 offers made to first-preference families, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.2.
Academically, the school’s Progress 8 score of -0.34 is below the Wirral local authority average of -0.12 and is classified as ‘Below average’ nationally, ranking in the bottom 26% of schools in England. Its Attainment 8 score is 35.7, and just 39.3% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics measure), compared with 21.5% at the higher grade 5 threshold. The EBacc entry rate is 25.1%, with only 7.9% achieving the EBacc at grade 4 or above. In the sixth form, the school has 34 students and a value-added score of -0.44, also rated ‘Below average’, with an average points per entry of 22 (equivalent to a D+ grade). Ofsted rated the sixth form provision as Good in 2023, alongside Good ratings for behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, sports hall, tennis courts, art studios, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports provision includes netball, hockey, dance, swimming, rounders, martial arts, and cricket, while extracurricular clubs cover Young Enterprise, orchestra, chess, coding, Model UN, and debate. SEND support is extensive, with provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate and profound learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder, plus a resourced provision. With 51.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a high-deprivation intake. It will suit families in Wirral seeking a large, inclusive secondary with strong SEND support and a sixth form, particularly those who value the recent improvement journey from Requires Improvement to Good.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 18 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | None |
| Address | Higher Bebington Road, Wirral, Wirral, CH63 2PS |
| Headteacher | Jane Whisker |
| Local Authority | Wirral |
| Number of Pupils | 1,062 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 51.1% |
| School Capacity | 1,062 / 1,256 (85% full) |
| Sixth Form | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
18 Apr 2023Overall Effectiveness
Good
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 14 Jun 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.34)
2334th of 3,141
Nationally
294th of 445
In North West
13th of 20
In Wirral
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
A-Level Results
2023/24Average Points per Entry
Value Added Score
'21/22
26.4
'22/23
29.9
'23/24
22.0
Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/2322%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 183 pupils).
- FE college43%
- School sixth form (stay)22%
- Sixth form college17%
- Not sustained7%
- Employment5%
- Apprenticeship4%
93% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Where school leavers go
2022/2329%
of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 48 pupils).
Top-tier university progression
0%
Russell Group
0%
Top-third HE
Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.
- Employment40%
- University (HE)29%
- Apprenticeship13%
- Not sustained13%
- Further education2%
Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.
Sixth form A-level subjects
2022/23- Film Studies15
- English Language and Literature7
- Media/Film/Tv Studies4
- Art and Design3
Subjects with at least 3 entries in 2022/23. Number shown next to each subject is the number of pupils who sat that A-level exam — a rough indicator of subject popularity at this school. Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance.
SEND Support
Resourced ProvisionSource: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
7Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
16Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed184
405
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
181 families put this school as their 1st choice (45% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:35 – 15:10
Source: bebington.coopacademies.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Among the highest-disadvantage schools.
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British91.8%
- Asian3.2%
- Mixed2.4%
- White (other)1.5%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
15
Total schools
11
Oversubscribed
11
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Co-op Academy Bebington
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Higher Bebington Road, Wirral
Wirral, CH63 2PS
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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