Birkenhead High School Academy
| Type | Other schools |
| Age Range | 3-19 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | 86 Devonshire Place Prenton Merseyside CH43 1TY |
| Phone | 01516525777 |
| Reference Number | 135877 |
Description
betaBirkenhead High School Academy is a renowned all-girls educational institution rooted in Birkenhead, Wirral, a region in the northwest of England. Established in 1884, the school transformed into an academy in 2009, forgoing its previous fee-paying status to join the state-funded education system. As a proud member of the Girls' Day School Trust, it continues to promote academic excellence with a comprehensive intake that encompasses all ability levels.
The school's curricular offerings range from sports facilities comprising tennis courts, all-weather pitches, gymnasium, and swimming pool, to a rich musical and dramatic scene, as well as a variety of after-school clubs. Birkenhead High School Academy places great emphasis on STEM education, specifically highlighting specialisms in Music and Mathematics. Previous A-level performance has garnered recognition, with the school achieving the highest points per entry in Wirral at the time of its independent status.
Despite the decision to become a state-funded all-ability academy, the school continues to contribute to its local community through a one-time £12 million building project that improved existing facilities. Located at 86 Devonshire Place, the institution accommodates students aged 3 to 19. The primary feeder school for Birkenhead High School Academy is itself, and the school's enrollment lies at around 1,092.
With a comprehensive history, Birkenhead High School Academy has been led by a series of headmistresses, many of whom have imparted lasting influence on their student body. The current head teacher is Rebecca Mahony. Other notable alumni include international athlete Sam Quek.
Through its affiliation with the GDST (Girls' Day School Trust), the school maintains close ties to the wider educational community and seeks to provide a high-quality education and deepen its commitment to students across the socioeconomic spectrum.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 1202 |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 15.6% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 5.7% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 21 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 27.2 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 28.2 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown | 54 | 54 |
| 2 | Unknown | 58 | 58 |
| 3 | Unknown | 57 | 57 |
| 4 | Unknown | 56 | 56 |
| 5 | Unknown | 56 | 56 |
| 6 | Unknown | 57 | 57 |
| 7 | Unknown | 135 | 135 |
| 8 | Unknown | 136 | 136 |
| 9 | Unknown | 135 | 135 |
| 10 | Unknown | 137 | 137 |
| 11 | Unknown | 129 | 129 |
| 12 | Unknown | 53 | 53 |
| 13 | Unknown | 60 | 60 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 84.6% |
| Unclassified | 3.4% |
| Asian, Other | 1.7% |
| White & Asian | 1.4% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.3% |
| White, Other | 1.2% |
| Chinese | 1.2% |
| Indian | 0.8% |
| African | 0.6% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.5% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.5% |
| Pakistani | 0.5% |
| Irish | 0.4% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| > Quality of education | Good |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Good |
| > Personal Development | Good |
| > Leadership & Management | Good |
| > Early Years Provision | Good |
| > Sixth Form Provision | Good |
| Last Inspection Date | 2023-06-19 |
| Date | Description | Report |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-25 | School inspection: | School inspection: |
| 2015-10-13 | Full inspection: | Full inspection: |
| 2012-02-02 | Full inspection: | Full inspection: |
| 2011-03-09 | Monitoring visit | Monitoring visit |
Ofsted Parent View
The latest published parent view scores are from 2018. Ofsted only publish scores if there have been more than 10 responses to the survey.
| Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | Don't Know | Total Responses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. My child is happy at this school | 65 | 79 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 176 |
| 2. My child feels safe at this school | 69 | 77 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 176 |
| 3. My child makes good progress at this school | 52 | 80 | 25 | 7 | 12 | 176 |
| 4. My child is well looked after at this school | 58 | 78 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 176 |
| 5. My child is taught well at this school | 43 | 84 | 34 | 5 | 10 | 176 |
| 6. My child receives appropriate homework for their age | 37 | 80 | 31 | 16 | 12 | 176 |
| 7. This school makes sure its pupils are well behaved | 42 | 78 | 29 | 16 | 11 | 176 |
| 8. This school deals effectively with bullying | 37 | 44 | 18 | 22 | 55 | 176 |
| 9. This school is well led and managed | 41 | 67 | 28 | 25 | 15 | 176 |
| 10. This school responds well to any concerns I raise | 50 | 54 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 176 |
| 11. I receive valuable information from the school about my child’s progress | 36 | 72 | 40 | 21 | 7 | 176 |
| 12. Would you recommend this school to another parent? | 130 | 46 |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 51.1 | Unlock | Unlock |
Progress 8 Score
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| School Score | Percentile (loc) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.63 | Unlock | Unlock |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
Sample
UnlockGCSE Results
Sample
UnlockProgress 8 Score
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 106 | Unlock | Unlock |
| Maths | 103 | Unlock | Unlock |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 1.9 | Unlock | Unlock |
| Writing | 0.9 | Unlock | Unlock |
| Maths | -0.4 | Unlock | Unlock |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
UnlockDestinations after GCSE's
Data relates to students who sat their GCSE's in 2022 and was last updated in May 2024.
| Staying in Education | Unlock |
| > Further Education | Unlock |
| > School Sixth Form | Unlock |
| > Sixth Form College | Unlock |
| > Other Education | Unlock |
| Apprenticeships | Unlock |
| Employment | Unlock |
| Not in education or employment | Unlock |
| Unknown | Unlock |
| Name | Distance |
|
Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School
Mount Grove, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2UJ |
0.7 miles |
|
St Saviour's CofE Primary School
Shirland Road, Maida Vale, London, W9 2JD |
0.76 miles |
|
Oxton St Saviour's CofE Aided Primary School
Holm Lane, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 2HT |
0.76 miles |
|
Woodchurch Road Academy
99 Woodchurch Road, Oxton, Woodchurch Road Academy, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 9LJ |
0.78 miles |
|
Bidston Avenue Primary School
Tollemache Road, Claughton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 0DQ |
0.79 miles |
|
St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School
Park Grove, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2TD |
0.83 miles |
|
Co-op Academy Portland
Laird Street, Claughton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 0AB |
0.85 miles |
|
The Priory Parish CofE Primary School
The Priory Parish C of E Primary School, 1 Aberdeen Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 4HS |
0.89 miles |
|
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead
Woodchurch Road, Oxton, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 5UT |
0.9 miles |
|
Townfield Primary School
Townfield Lane, Prenton, Wirral, Merseyside, CH43 2LH |
0.9 miles |
|
Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School
Price Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 8DU |
0.92 miles |
|
Woodlands Primary School
Hollybank Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 2SY |
0.97 miles |
|
Co-Op Academy Hillside
Ridgeview Road, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 9HG |
1.03 miles |
|
Cathcart Street Primary School
Dover Close, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, CH41 3JY |
1.07 miles |
|
Devonshire Park Primary School
Temple Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 9JX |
1.1 miles |
|
St Peter's Catholic Primary School
St Peter's Way, Noctorum, St. Peters Rc Primary School, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 9QR |
1.23 miles |
|
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Gautby Road, Bidston, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 7DU |
1.23 miles |
|
Mersey Park Primary School
Elm Road, Higher Tranmere, Wirral, Merseyside, CH42 0PH |
1.26 miles |
|
Manor Primary School
Beechwood Drive, Birkenhead, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 7ZU |
1.32 miles |
|
Prenton Primary School
Bramwell Avenue, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 0RQ |
1.33 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
St Anselm's College
Manor Hill, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 1UQ |
0.18 miles |
|
Birkenhead Park School
Park Road South, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 4UY |
0.4 miles |
|
Birkenhead Sixth Form College
Park Road West, Claughton, Wirral, Merseyside, CH43 8SQ |
0.54 miles |
|
Progress Schools - Wirral
The Hive, Bright Street, Wirral, CH41 4EA |
0.82 miles |
|
Kilgarth School
Cavendish Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 8BA |
0.91 miles |
|
Ridgeway High School
Noctorum Avenue, Noctorum, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 9EB |
1.1 miles |
|
Wirral Metropolitan College
Conway Park Campus, Conway Park, Europa Boulevard, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 4NT |
1.25 miles |
|
Woodchurch High School
Carr Bridge Road, Woodchurch, Wirral, Merseyside, CH49 7NG |
1.33 miles |
|
IMPACT Northwest Schools
Unit 1 Tower House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FF |
1.37 miles |
|
Foxfield School
New Hey Road, Woodchurch, Merseyside, CH49 5LF |
1.42 miles |
|
Wirral Wrap
Summerhill House, Beechwood Drive, Beechwood, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH43 9LB |
1.47 miles |
|
Progress Schools - Hamilton Square
60 Hamilton Square, Wirral, CH41 5AT |
1.54 miles |
|
Prenton High School for Girls
Hesketh Avenue, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH42 6RR |
1.62 miles |
|
The Observatory School
Bidston Village Road, Bidston, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 7QT |
1.62 miles |
|
Meadowside School
Pool Lane, Woodchurch, Wirral, Merseyside, CH49 5LA |
1.86 miles |
|
Weatherhead High School
Breck Rd, Wallasey, Merseyside, CH44 3HS |
1.92 miles |
|
Upton Hall School FCJ
Upton, Wirral, Merseyside, CH49 6LJ |
2.1 miles |
|
The Mosslands School
Mosslands Drive, Wallasey, Merseyside, CH45 8PJ |
2.25 miles |
|
Clare Mount Specialist Sports College
Birket Avenue, Leasowe, CH46 1RA |
2.28 miles |
|
The Oldershaw School
Valkyrie Road, Wallasey, Merseyside, CH45 4RJ |
2.45 miles |