Chesterfield High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,692 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.4
Academy converter
Birkdale High School
- Pupils on roll
- 936of 940 places
- Free school meals
- 22.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 176
- Ofsted
- Report card, 14 April 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Strong standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Strong standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Birkdale High School (URN 104954, until 17 August 2011).
What the data says
Birkdale High School has no sixth form. Of the 137 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 1% moved to a sixth form college, 75% to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Fine Art is unusually popular at GCSE: 34% of the year group took it, against 9% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 51.9 against 46.1 across England and 42.9 in Sefton, with 57% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
As an 11–16 school, Birkdale High School is judged on where pupils go at 16 rather than on A level results.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Sefton and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Birkdale High School | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 137 | 3,063 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 89% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 84% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 4% | 25% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 75% | 53% | 37% |
| — other education | 4% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 4% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Birkdale High School | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 51.9 | 42.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 57% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 60% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 78% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.90 | 3.70 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 21% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.2 | 31.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 56.3 | 47.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 9% | 7% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 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.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 176 | 100% | 88% | 20% | 22% | 80% |
| English Language | 176 | 100% | 89% | 34% | 20% | 77% |
| English Literature | 173 | 98% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 75% |
| Religious Studies | 166 | 94% | 31% | 18% | 32% | 57% |
| Combined Science | 106 | 60% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 68% |
| Geography | 93 | 53% | 41% | 15% | 25% | 59% |
| Spanish | 90 | 51% | 19% | 23% | 27% | 59% |
| History | 90 | 51% | 41% | 32% | 26% | 76% |
| Biology | 67 | 38% | 23% | 52% | 45% | 93% |
| Chemistry | 67 | 38% | 23% | 51% | 47% | 94% |
| Physics | 67 | 38% | 23% | 52% | 46% | 91% |
| Fine Art | 59 | 34% | 9% | 20% | 28% | 75% |
| French | 50 | 28% | 18% | 30% | 29% | 64% |
| Computer Science | 40 | 23% | 13% | 50% | 30% | 78% |
| Physical Education | 24 | 14% | 11% | 13% | 24% | 75% |
| Drama | 21 | 12% | 7% | 14% | 27% | 71% |
| Design and Technology | 19 | 11% | 11% | 5% | 23% | 79% |
| Polish | 3 | 2% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Arabic | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 27 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 26 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 24 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 24 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 14 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Sefton
Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre
Voluntary aided school · sixth form · 822 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.8
Deyes High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,336 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Formby High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,157 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.3
Greenbank High School
Academy converter · 1,025 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.6
Hillside High School
Academy sponsor led · 785 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.8
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.