Meols Cop High School

Meols Cop High School has a strong, deeply embedded culture of inclusion. Leaders are meticulous in identifying and removing barriers to learning and wellbeing, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those in the school’s two specially resourced provisions, benefit from expert support. Pupils feel a profound sense of belonging, attendance is high for vulnerable groups, and parents describe the school as a lifeline. Safeguarding standards are met, and inclusion is the standout strength of the school. Overall, the school is performing at the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and personal development. Pupils typically achieve well, attendance is broadly in line with national averages, behaviour is positive, the curriculum is broad and ambitious, and personal development and careers provision are comprehensive. Leaders have also navigated the school through challenging and tragic circumstances with sensitivity, placing pupils’ wellbeing at the heart of their work. However, teaching quality is occasionally variable: some staff do not address misconceptions or gaps in knowledge swiftly, and some lessons do not give pupils enough opportunity to apply and deepen their learning. Published data also shows that GCSE English and maths grade 5 outcomes, including for disadvantaged pupils, are below national averages, although attainment and progress are closer to average and have improved over time. The school joined Southport Learning Trust in April 2023 and opened as a new school, with the current headteacher appointed shortly afterwards. It has two specially resourced SEND provisions and uses alternative provision to support pupils. The next step is for leaders to continue embedding highly effective teaching across all subjects so that all pupils learn and achieve as well as they can.

Strengths

• Inclusion is at the very core of the school, ensuring no pupils are left behind.
• Expert, precisely matched support for pupils with SEND, including in two specially resourced provisions.
• High attendance among pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils, and those with other barriers to learning or wellbeing.
• Pupils feel a profound sense of belonging and are happy, safe and free from bullying or harassment.
• Positive behaviour and respect are embedded through the 'PROUD' framework.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and logically ordered.
• Staff are subject experts and teaching strategies are consistently embedded across most subjects.
• A comprehensive personal development programme includes plentiful enrichment opportunities.
• A thorough careers programme provides impartial guidance and work-related experiences.
• Leaders and governance are highly supportive, and staff benefit from a strong professional learning culture.
• Leaders sensitively navigated the school through challenging and tragic circumstances, prioritising pupil wellbeing.
• Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the bespoke support their children receive.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality is occasionally inconsistent across subjects.
• Some staff do not address misconceptions or gaps in knowledge swiftly enough.
• Some lessons lack sufficient opportunities for pupils to apply and deepen their learning.
• Leaders’ work to embed consistently highly effective teaching across all subjects is ongoing.
• GCSE English and maths grade 5 outcomes are below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ GCSE English and maths grade 5 outcomes are below national averages.

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 Meols Cop High School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.1% 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, 4.6% of pupils at Meols Cop High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Meols Cop High School had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.2% 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, 13.5% of pupils at Meols Cop High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 21 pupils.

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 Meols Cop High School received £8,593 and spent £9,027 for each of its 910 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £812,000 (£892 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Southport Learning Trust, income was £7,959 and spending £8,218 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 Southport · Sefton local authority: places and applications

Meols Cop High School is part of Southport Learning Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Kew Woods Primary School Southport
• Stanley High School Southport
• Greenbank High School Southport
• Birkdale High School Southport
• Merefield School Southport
• Range High School Liverpool
• Maghull High School Liverpool
• Bedford Primary School Liverpool

What is Meols Cop High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Meols Cop High School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Meols Cop High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meols Cop High School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Meols Cop High School have?

Meols Cop High School has 916 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meols Cop High School cover?

Meols Cop High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Meols Cop High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.9, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Meols Cop High School?

Meols Cop High School is at Meols Cop Road, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 6JS.