Hillside High School

Hillside High School has made significant strides since its previous inspection, moving from a grade of Requires Improvement to Good. The school is committed to creating an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated, and pupils feel valued and supported. The leadership, including contributions from the Wade Deacon Trust, has enhanced students' educational experience through a well-structured curriculum and focused pastoral care, leading to improved outcomes for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, there remain some areas for development, particularly concerning the key stage 4 curriculum design, which lacks the same depth and clarity as key stage 3, affecting learners' ability to connect their learning effectively.

Strengths

• Strong pastoral support that fosters positive relationships between staff and pupils.
• A broad and ambitious curriculum, particularly in key stage 3.
• Significant improvements in pupils' attendance and behaviour.
• Effective training and professional development for staff to enhance subject knowledge.
• A strong focus on reading, with successful initiatives to encourage pupils.
• Well-designed personal development programmes promoting health and responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

• Key stage 4 curriculum lacks rigor and precise details, hindering pupil learning connections.
• Some teaching strategies do not effectively help pupils embed knowledge over time.
• A portion of pupils still do not attend school as regularly as expected.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Hillside High School attended 89.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 31.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 14.8% of pupils at Hillside High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Hillside High School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 27.8% of pupils at Hillside High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Hillside High School received £9,289 and spent £9,107 for each of its 744 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £38,000 (£51 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Wade Deacon Trust, income was £9,213 and spending £8,949 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bootle · Sefton local authority: places and applications

Hillside High School is part of Wade Deacon Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Sylvester Primary Academy Liverpool
• Whiston Willis Primary Academy Prescot
• Yew Tree Primary Academy Knowsley
• Halewood Academy Knowsley
• Oakdene Primary Academy Prescot
• Wade Deacon High School Widnes
• Widnes Academy Widnes
• Weston Point Primary Academy Runcorn
• The Grange School Runcorn

What is Hillside High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hillside High School is Good, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was Hillside High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hillside High School was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does Hillside High School have?

Hillside High School has 785 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hillside High School cover?

Hillside High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Hillside High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.1, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Hillside High School?

Hillside High School is at Breeze Hill, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 9NU.