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West Kirby Grammar School

Secondary · Wirral · CH48 5DP

Data updated

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Good

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 2 November 2022

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,181 pupils · 92% of 1,283 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Girls
Admissions
Selective
Free school meals
8.4% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
11% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
11.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
0.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
https://wkgs.org/
URN
137243

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 163 families named it first for 172 Year 7 places, 0.95 first choices per place. We hold one Year 7 admissions round for it, 2026 entry, and it was not decided by a published distance. Ofsted last graded it Good on 2 November 2022, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.8% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.95 first-choice applications per place

172 places offered · 163 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places for 2026 entry were decided by test scores, not distance.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Places for 2026 entry were decided by test scores, not distance.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

183 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
71.3
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
97.8%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
95.6%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
6.8
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) B
39.3
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school71.3
Median of its 12 closest peers69.8
Wirral average47.4
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar SchoolTunbridge Wells · 212 miles awayOutstanding73.4
The Skinners' SchoolTunbridge Wells · 212 miles awayStrong standard70.8
The North Halifax Grammar SchoolHalifax · 59 miles awayGood68.5
Simon Langton Girls' Grammar SchoolCanterbury · 232 miles awayGood67.7
Sir Roger Manwood's SchoolSandwich · 240 miles awayGood62.7
Kesteven and Grantham Girls' SchoolGrantham · 110 miles awayOutstanding68.8
Haberdashers' AdamsNewport · 54 miles awayGood71.8
Upton Hall School FCJWirral · 4 miles awayStrong standard65.6
Spalding High SchoolSpalding · 133 miles awayOutstanding63
Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolColchester · 199 miles awayExceptional82.1
Newstead Wood SchoolOrpington · 195 miles awayExceptional82.8
The Crypt SchoolGloucester · 113 miles awayOutstanding72.7

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 76% (Wirral 81%, England 59%) · Asian Indian 6% (Wirral 2%, England 4%) · Any other White background 4% (Wirral 3%, England 7%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Wirral 1%, England 3%) · Asian Chinese 2% (Wirral 1%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Wirral 1%, England 3%) · Black African 2% (Wirral 1%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Wirral 1%, England 2%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Wirral 1%, England 3%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Wirral 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 2%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.8%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
9.5%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

0.67 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Wirral: 12.89 suspensions and 0.18 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
17.8
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

85% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 6% moved to another state school · 8% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

76.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 4.9 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £55,748; 6.5% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,668
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 81% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 6% (6%) · supplies and services 8% (11%) · educational supplies 5% (6%) · bought-in professional services 2% (1%) · catering 0% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £1,472,000; in-year balance +£0

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
98%
Continuing in education
96%
Apprenticeship
1%
Employment
1%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
64%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
21%
Any sustained destination
91%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher42.2%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications16.1%18.1%
In managerial or professional work44.4%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways15.7%18.1%
Residents in very good health44.7%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier71.2%62.3%
Social housing8.6%17.1%
Privately rented20.2%20.5%
Detached houses15.3%22.9%
Flats34%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms20.6%21.1%
Households with no car or van28.2%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01007196 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£316,000273 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£220,000–£495,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (35)£800,000
Semi-detached (80)£342,500
Terraced (51)£289,000
Flat (107)£260,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
1an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
13an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
0an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

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