Ridgeway High School

About Ridgeway High School

Ridgeway High School has turned a corner. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in early 2024, the school was rated Good overall, a clear step up from the Requires Improvement judgement it received in 2021. The improvement is consistent across the board: inspectors awarded Good for leadership and management, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development. On the academic front, the most telling metric is Progress 8, which measures how much pupils improve between the end of primary school and GCSEs compared with the national average. Ridgeway’s Progress 8 score sits at -0.16, meaning pupils leave with slightly lower results than similar students nationally. That places the school 11th out of 20 secondary schools in Wirral, and in the bottom half of schools nationally. However, the picture is nuanced: English progress is a positive 0.16, suggesting the school’s literacy teaching is a real strength, while maths progress is -0.17 and the EBacc element is weaker at -0.51.

Looking at the raw attainment figures, Ridgeway’s Attainment 8 score is 36.5, and just under half of pupils (46.8%) achieve a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs. The EBacc average point score is 2.96, and only 9.9% of pupils enter the full EBacc combination of subjects. These figures reflect a school serving a community with high levels of disadvantage: 56.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Compared with the Wirral local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.12, Ridgeway is slightly below the local norm, but the gap is narrow. The school’s ranking within the North West region is 225th out of 445 schools, placing it almost exactly in the middle of the regional pack. For parents focused on academic outcomes, the key takeaway is that Ridgeway is a solidly Good school making steady progress from a lower base, with English teaching a particular bright spot.

The school is a mixed, non-denominational secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form. It is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 298 applications for 178 places, with 144 first-preference offers made. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.67, so applying as a first choice is important. Facilities are strong for a state school, including a swimming pool, astro turf, theatre, and science labs. There is a wide range of clubs from coding and chess to gardening and Model UN, plus sports including rugby, netball, and gymnastics. The school’s SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. For families in Wirral, Ridgeway represents a school that has demonstrably improved its leadership and behaviour, and while its academic outcomes are not the highest in the borough, its inclusive approach and broad extracurricular offer make it a strong choice for children who need a supportive, structured environment.

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