Birkdale High School
Academy converter · 936 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
Academy converter
Formby High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,157of 989 places
- Free school meals
- 14.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 187
- Ofsted
- Good, 2 November 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Formby High School (URN 104949, until 1 September 2011).
What the data says
Of the 179 pupils who finished Year 11 at Formby High School in 2023, 50% stayed on in Formby High School’s own sixth form (Sefton average 25%), 31% went to a further education college and 8% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 116 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 49% went to university (Sefton 27%, England 37%), and 35% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 8% of leavers started one, roughly twice the England figure of 3%.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 54.3 against 46.1 across England and 42.9 in Sefton, with 66% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 | Formby High School | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 179 | 3,063 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 89% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 83% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 50% | 25% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 31% | 53% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 4% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Formby High School | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 116 | 2,579 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 49% | 27% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 35% | 12% | 19% |
| Further education | 5% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 28% | 32% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 19% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Formby High School | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 54.3 | 42.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 66% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 60% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 19% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.53 | 3.70 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.7 | 31.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 57.5 | 47.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 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 | 185 | 99% | 88% | 21% | 22% | 82% |
| English Language | 179 | 96% | 89% | 32% | 20% | 92% |
| Religious Studies | 172 | 92% | 31% | 29% | 32% | 83% |
| English Literature | 171 | 91% | 86% | 37% | 21% | 90% |
| Combined Science | 115 | 61% | 65% | 12% | 9% | 74% |
| Geography | 108 | 58% | 41% | 37% | 25% | 87% |
| Business Studies | 92 | 49% | 18% | 16% | 20% | 85% |
| History | 85 | 45% | 41% | 52% | 26% | 96% |
| Biology | 64 | 34% | 23% | 41% | 45% | 91% |
| Physics | 63 | 34% | 23% | 33% | 46% | 86% |
| Chemistry | 62 | 33% | 23% | 34% | 47% | 90% |
| Physical Education | 45 | 24% | 11% | 33% | 24% | 91% |
| Fine Art | 44 | 24% | 9% | 27% | 28% | 86% |
| Spanish | 40 | 21% | 19% | 28% | 27% | 68% |
| Computer Science | 32 | 17% | 13% | 31% | 30% | 88% |
| Drama | 31 | 17% | 7% | 29% | 27% | 94% |
| Music | 14 | 7% | 5% | 36% | 33% | 79% |
| Dance | 14 | 7% | 1% | 57% | 27% | 100% |
| Astronomy | 11 | 6% | 0% | 27% | 29% | 100% |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 36 | 47% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 34 | 44% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 31 | 40% | — |
| Sports Studies | 12 | 16% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Formby High School | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 235 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 77 | 897 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 39.02 | 29.93 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 20% | 9% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 20 | 26% | 31% |
| Geography | 20 | 26% | 10% |
| Biology | 18 | 23% | 20% |
| History | 18 | 23% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 14 | 18% | 17% |
| Film Studies | 12 | 16% | 2% |
| Fine Art | 11 | 14% | 3% |
| Economics | 10 | 13% | 13% |
| Physical Education | 8 | 10% | 3% |
| Business Studies | 8 | 10% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 8 | 10% | 2% |
| English Literature | 8 | 10% | 11% |
| Drama | 7 | 9% | 2% |
| Politics | 7 | 9% | 6% |
| Physics | 6 | 8% | 12% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 30 | 39% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 22 | 29% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 17% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 13% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 6 | 8% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 8% | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Sefton
Chesterfield High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,692 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.4
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
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.