Birkdale High School
Academy converter · 936 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
Academy sponsor led
Sacred Heart Catholic Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 613of 1,354 places
- Free school meals
- 37.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 170
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 15 October 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Sacred Heart Catholic College (URN 104961, until 1 May 2022).
What the data says
Of the 192 pupils who finished Year 11 at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in 2023, 36% stayed on in Sacred Heart Catholic Academy’s own sixth form (Sefton average 25%), 50% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 75 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 52% went to university (Sefton 27%, England 37%).
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 93% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 42.4 against 46.1 across England and 42.9 in Sefton, with 38% 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 | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 192 | 3,063 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 89% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 90% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 36% | 25% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 2% | 13% |
| — further education college | 50% | 53% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 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 | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 75 | 2,579 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 52% | 27% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | — | 12% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 8% | 7% |
| Employment | 29% | 32% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 19% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 42.4 | 42.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 60% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 12% | 38% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.53 | 3.70 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 29% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 31.9 | 31.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.8 | 47.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 6% | 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 | 164 | 96% | 88% | 13% | 22% | 68% |
| English Language | 164 | 96% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 68% |
| English Literature | 161 | 95% | 86% | 14% | 21% | 63% |
| Religious Studies | 158 | 93% | 31% | 13% | 32% | 56% |
| Combined Science | 132 | 78% | 65% | 11% | 9% | 49% |
| History | 102 | 60% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 58% |
| Business Studies | 68 | 40% | 18% | 4% | 20% | 44% |
| Geography | 42 | 25% | 41% | 10% | 25% | 52% |
| Biology | 32 | 19% | 23% | 34% | 45% | 94% |
| Fine Art | 32 | 19% | 9% | 13% | 28% | 88% |
| Physics | 31 | 18% | 23% | 19% | 46% | 81% |
| Chemistry | 31 | 18% | 23% | 26% | 47% | 90% |
| French | 30 | 18% | 18% | 50% | 29% | 77% |
| Computer Science | 24 | 14% | 13% | 21% | 30% | 58% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 21 | 12% | 8% | 14% | 21% | 57% |
| Textiles | 13 | 8% | 2% | 15% | 27% | 92% |
| Design and Technology | 10 | 6% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 20% |
| Drama | 9 | 5% | 7% | 11% | 27% | 56% |
| Spanish | 2 | 1% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 1% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 37 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 26 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 23 | 100% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 19 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 8 | 897 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 25.00 | 29.93 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | — | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | — | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Psychology | — | — | 23% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 12 | 100% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 10 | 100% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 6 | 75% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Biology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
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
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
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.