Presfield High School and Specialist College

Community special school · Mixed · ages 11–19 · with sixth formSefton, Southport PR9school website

Four in five Year 11 leavers stay in education (England 86%); as a special school, its figures are not comparable with mainstream schools.

Where this school leads
88%

of Year 11 leavers stayed in education · Sefton 83% · England 86% · DfE destination measures, pupils who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Presfield High School and Specialist College: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 16%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 31%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 10%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 1%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 5%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 24%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 5%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 8%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 5%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 5%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 16%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 17%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Standards kept
Places
—
Pupils
132
Free school meals
34.4%

Ofsted: Short inspection, 27 September 2023: the last full grade still stands · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Sefton’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 88 places, including the sixth form. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

88%stayed in education after Year 11
This school88%
Sefton83%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 17 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Of the 17 pupils who finished Year 11 at Presfield High School and Specialist College in 2023, 0% stayed on in Presfield High School and Specialist College’s own sixth form (Sefton average 25%), 12% went to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureThis schoolSeftonEngland
Pupils in the cohort173,063607,348
Any sustained destination88%89%92%
Stayed in education88%83%86%
— school sixth form0%25%34%
— sixth form college0%2%13%
— further education college12%53%37%
— other education76%3%2%
Apprenticeship0%3%3%
Employment0%3%3%
No sustained destination6%8%6%
Destination unknown6%4%3%
After sixth form · age 18

Where do sixth-formers go at 18?

No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.

GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

16.1Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school16.1
Sefton42.9
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 20 pupils in Year 11

35% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 23.0 — below disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

15% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Sefton 40%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureThis schoolSeftonEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)16.142.946.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths15%40%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths35%60%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects0%38%41%
EBacc average point score0.363.704.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort35%30%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils23.031.334.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils12.447.850.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language5%7%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

42.29%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Mathematics & Statistics31%
Health & Safety24%
Green & Sustainability17%
Language & Communication16%
Transversal Skills16%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects10

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Mathematics20100%88%15%22%70%
Biology1260%23%0%45%83%
English Language1155%89%0%20%73%
Art and Design945%7%0%24%67%
Statistics945%5%22%20%89%
Religious Studies630%31%17%32%33%
Citizenship Studies630%3%0%19%67%
Business Studies315%18%—20%—
Physics15%23%—46%—
Dance15%1%—27%—
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications2
SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Computer Appreciation / Introduction16——
Sports Studies8——
A level subjects1

Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
History——13%
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses1
SubjectQualificationEntriesShare of cohortEngland
MultimediaOCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3———
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Mathematics & Statistics39%
Health & Safety38%
Language & Communication34%
Green & Sustainability32%
Transversal Skills29%
Natural Sciences27%
Digital & ICT Skills16%
Law & Public Administration15%
Arts & Humanities14%
Engineering & Manufacturing13%
Social & Cultural Skills9%
Business & Administration8%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 16.0percentage 10.2ratio 8.6equation 7.5power 7.0root 7.0gradient 7.0translation 7.0vocabulary 6.7formulae 6.0reflection 5.2area 5.0linear functions 5.0direct proportion 5.0inverse proportion 5.0volume 5.0congruence 5.0pythagoras' theorem 5.0particle model 5.0theoretical probability 4.9audience 4.8percentage change 4.8grammar 4.7estimation 4.6

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, percentage, graph from Biology, Business Studies, Mathematics and 5 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses sampling technique, conclusion, probability from Biology, Mathematics, Statistics and 1 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses pressure, graph, energy change from Mathematics, Physics, Design and Technology and 2 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
More apprenticeships9
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data collection, data interpretation, conduct field work from Biology, Statistics, Computing and 2 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses graph, pressure, unit conversion from Biology, Mathematics, Mathematics and 1 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses mean, integer, outlier from Business Studies, English Language, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Artificial intelligence (AI) data specialistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · digital · uses experimental design, scientific method, data presentation from Biology, English Language, Statistics and 2 more · jobs: ICT intelligent systems designer
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, formulae, si unit from Biology, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more
Improvement specialistLevel 5 (higher) apprenticeship · business and administration · uses prediction, correlation, sample size from Biology, Mathematics, Statistics · jobs: business consultant, environmental engineer, civil engineer
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses data collection, scale, computer systems from Art and Design, Physics, Computing and 3 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses punctuation, spelling, grammar from English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, volume, resistance from Mathematics, Physics, Mathematics and 1 more · jobs: battery test technician
Admissions

How do you get a place?

Places at special schools are allocated through an Education, Health and Care plan with Sefton, not by distance.

  1. Any timeAsk Sefton’s SEND team to name the school in the child’s EHC plan; the school is consulted before a place is offered
Sefton

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.