Kirkby High School

About Kirkby High School

Kirkby High School’s headline Progress 8 score of -1.63 places it well below the Knowsley local authority average of -0.86, and it is ranked 6th out of 6 secondary schools in the borough. This is a significant gap — roughly three-quarters of a grade per subject less than the typical Knowsley student. The school’s Progress 8 banding is officially described as “well below average,” and nationally it sits at the 99th percentile from the bottom, meaning only a handful of schools in the country have lower scores. In English, the Progress 8 figure is -1.46; in maths it’s -1.71; and the EBacc element is -1.74. The Attainment 8 score of 29.2 is also low, and only 22.8% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths (the basics95 measure). For context, the school’s intake is notably disadvantaged — 58% of pupils are eligible for free school meals — which is a very high proportion and likely a factor in these outcomes.

Academically, the picture is challenging but there are some signs of improvement in behaviour and leadership. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, Kirkby High School was rated Good overall, a clear step up from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2018. All four graded areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — were rated Good. The EBacc entry rate is low at 11.7%, and only 3% of pupils achieved the EBacc at grade 5 or above, which is well below national averages. The school does not have a sixth form, so pupils leave at 16. Given the Progress 8 scores, parents should expect that most students will need significant additional support to reach expected standards, though the Ofsted report suggests the school is now better led and more orderly than it was a few years ago.

On the practical side, Kirkby High School is oversubscribed: for 200 places in 2025/26, it received 352 applications, with 157 first-preference offers made from 158 first-preference applications — an oversubscription ratio of 1.76. This suggests strong local demand despite the academic results. Facilities are surprisingly extensive for a state school, including a swimming pool, astro turf, sports hall, gymnasium, and a chapel. There is a wide range of clubs — orchestra, choir, coding, Young Enterprise, science club, chess, and film club — and sports on offer include hockey, gymnastics, tennis, basketball, football, and rugby. The school also lists SEND provisions covering dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health, speech and language needs, visual and multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that serves a high-needs community and has invested in both pastoral and enrichment infrastructure, but parents should weigh the academic data carefully against the local context.

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