School Chooser

Black Horse Hill Infant School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil102 pupilsNurseryWirral
School Chooser Score
41
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 18 to 70, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Attendance94.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
Places78 spare102 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher17.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll102Census January 2026

Black Horse Hill Infant School is a council school in Wirral for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 102 pupils and room for 180. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 41 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Saughall Massie Road, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 6DR0151 625 5238blackhorsehillinfant.co.ukMrs Julie Morris headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 7 February 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places92 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
51% full

88 places were empty (49% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 31% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Wirral council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll102Census January 2026
Places18057% full
Pupils from low-income families24%22% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%17 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.84 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)21%£24,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls54 / 48
White British pupils91%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (10), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Moderate learning difficulty (2), emotional and mental health (2), Other difficulty or disability (1), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll102119135166171182
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals24%23%26%21%19%16%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%7%5%7%2%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support19%12%7%8%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.8%4.5%4.9%6.4%3.4%3.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.0%3.8%4.0%5.6%2.2%2.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.7%0.9%0.9%1.2%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.9%7.8%11.2%21.0%7.1%6.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.80.70.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers5.4full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacher17.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£58,209
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.12024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£10,159England £7,738. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£10,271England £7,697. Total £1.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,450England £3,480
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £95k, £888 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£12kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£10,159spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m7712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate61 per 1,000 people33% lower than the England average
Typical house price£218,000Wirral
Nearest bus stop200 mWirral Mount, 9 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Black Horse Hill Junior SchoolAcademy0 m169Good 202211Compare
West Kirby Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles297Good 202389Compare
West Kirby St Bridget's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles420No overall grade 2024Compare
Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles288Good 2023Compare
Greasby Infant SchoolCouncil1.7 miles196No overall grade 202475Compare
Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy1.8 miles435Outstanding 202397Compare
Greasby Junior SchoolAcademy1.8 miles247Report card 202666Compare
Great Meols Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles450Good 202379Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Black Horse Hill Infant School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats52%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 41 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 40 · highest 94100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Black Horse Hill Infant School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy10.6 miles101Good 202468Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 41 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 41% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 18 to 70. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.12
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.02
2024/25; 67 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Black Horse Hill Infant School a good school?

It is about average. Black Horse Hill Infant School scores 41 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 18 to 70, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Black Horse Hill Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Black Horse Hill Infant School good at its last full inspection on 7 February 2024.

How many pupils does Black Horse Hill Infant School have?

102 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 57% full.

Is Black Horse Hill Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 88 places were empty in 2024/25 (49% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Black Horse Hill Infant School?

Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Black Horse Hill Infant School?

The average class had 24.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Saughall Massie Road, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 6DR
Telephone
0151 625 5238
Website
www.blackhorsehillinfant.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Julie Morris
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Wirral
Ward
West Kirby and Thurstaston
Constituency
Wirral West
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105027 · LAESTAB 3442226 · UKPRN 10070943

Where these figures come from