Birkenhead High School Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,226 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.5
Academy converter
Weatherhead High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,500of 1,669 places
- Free school meals
- 43.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 253
- Ofsted
- Good, 29 November 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Weatherhead High School Media Arts College (URN 105105, until 1 January 2012).
What the data says
Of the 250 pupils who finished Year 11 at Weatherhead High School in 2023, 43% stayed on in Weatherhead High School’s own sixth form (Wirral average 38%), 23% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 156 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 48% went to university (Wirral 39%, England 37%), and 20% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Sociology is unusually popular at GCSE: 22% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.9 against 46.1 across England and 45.3 in Wirral, with 28% 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 Wirral and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Weatherhead High School | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 250 | 3,848 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 84% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 43% | 38% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 18% | 19% | 13% |
| — further education college | 23% | 25% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 3% | 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 | Weatherhead High School | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 156 | 3,298 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 48% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 20% | 23% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 29% | 25% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 16% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Weatherhead High School | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.9 | 45.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 28% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 53% | 62% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 53% | 39% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.71 | 3.96 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 35% | 33% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.4 | 32.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.9 | 51.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 5% | 6% | 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 | 249 | 98% | 88% | 8% | 22% | 58% |
| English Language | 247 | 98% | 89% | 14% | 20% | 68% |
| English Literature | 230 | 91% | 86% | 15% | 21% | 74% |
| Combined Science | 192 | 76% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 52% |
| Spanish | 139 | 55% | 19% | 9% | 27% | 68% |
| Geography | 112 | 44% | 41% | 13% | 25% | 54% |
| History | 96 | 38% | 41% | 25% | 26% | 71% |
| Sociology | 55 | 22% | 4% | 31% | 21% | 87% |
| Chemistry | 42 | 17% | 23% | 33% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 42 | 17% | 23% | 19% | 46% | 93% |
| Biology | 42 | 17% | 23% | 29% | 45% | 98% |
| Fine Art | 41 | 16% | 9% | 27% | 28% | 100% |
| Textiles | 36 | 14% | 2% | 11% | 27% | 94% |
| Physical Education | 27 | 11% | 11% | 19% | 24% | 74% |
| Music | 22 | 9% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 82% |
| Drama | 21 | 8% | 7% | 14% | 27% | 86% |
| Design and Technology | 14 | 6% | 11% | 21% | 23% | 64% |
| Dance | 12 | 5% | 1% | 42% | 27% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 11 | 4% | 31% | 27% | 32% | 91% |
| Latin | 9 | 4% | 1% | 11% | 74% | 44% |
| Computer Science | 4 | 2% | 13% | — | 30% | — |
| Art and Design | 4 | 2% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Chinese | 4 | 2% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 3 | 1% | 8% | — | 21% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Business Studies | 1 | 0% | 18% | — | 20% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Photography | 1 | 0% | 6% | — | 19% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 50 | 57% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 46 | 53% | — |
| Small Business Management | 25 | 29% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 24 | 28% | — |
| Multimedia | 18 | 21% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | 13% | — |
| Tourism | 8 | 9% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Weatherhead High School | Wirral | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 249 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 87 | 1,844 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.59 | 35.37 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 9% | 16% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | 24 | 28% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 20 | 23% | 31% |
| Psychology | 17 | 20% | 23% |
| Photography | 16 | 18% | 3% |
| Textiles | 15 | 17% | 1% |
| English Literature | 14 | 16% | 11% |
| Sociology | 12 | 14% | 13% |
| English Language | 12 | 14% | 4% |
| Geography | 12 | 14% | 10% |
| Biology | 10 | 11% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 10 | 11% | 17% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 7% | 3% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Film Studies | — | — | 2% |
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* | 17 | 20% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 18% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 13 | 15% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 14% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 10 | 11% | — |
| Childcare Skills | VRQ Level 3 | 10 | 11% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 10% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 8% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
Where Weatherhead High School is
Other secondary schools in Wirral are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from Wirral’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Wirral
Birkenhead Park School
Academy sponsor led · 731 pupils
71% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.9
Calday Grange Grammar School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,493 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 68.1
Co-op Academy Bebington
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,044 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.3
Hilbre High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,154 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.0
Pensby High School
Foundation school · sixth form · 915 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.8
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.