Merefield School
Merefield School is a special academy in Southport for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 116 pupils and every place is taken. About 59 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.
Westminster Drive, Southport, PR8 2QZ01704 577163merefieldschool.co.ukMiss Joanne Sharpe headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet. That is normal for a school that opened in 2025: new schools usually get their first inspection within three years.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
6 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Merefield School, the school this one replaced.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
5 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way. These are the results of Merefield School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Sefton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 5 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 10 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | 59% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | 5% | 8% |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | – | – | 90.0 | – | – | 103.8 | 104.6 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | – | -5.9 | – | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | – | -5.1 | – | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for Merefield School, the school this one replaced in October 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
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 Sefton council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Sefton with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (58), Severe learning difficulty (37), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (16), Specific learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.3% | 10.5% | 13.0% | 13.1% | 7.0% | 9.9% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.4% | 10.0% | 12.3% | 12.8% | 7.0% | 9.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 20.5% | 32.9% | 31.7% | 32.9% | 14.9% | 29.7% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Merefield School, the school this one replaced in October 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoreside Primary School | Academy | 250 m | 228 | Good 2023 | 81 | Compare |
| Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre | Council | 0.7 miles | 181 | Good 2024 | 65 | Compare |
| Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 190 | Report card 2026 | 9 | Compare |
| Birkdale High School | Academy | 1.4 miles | 936 | Report card 2026 | 71 | Compare |
| Greenbank High School | Academy | 1.9 miles | 1,025 | Good 2022 | 63 | Compare |
| Farnborough Road Junior School | Council | 1.9 miles | 468 | Good 2024 | 54 | Compare |
| Farnborough Road Infant School | Council | 1.9 miles | 428 | Good 2023 | 60 | Compare |
| Trinity St Peter's CofE Primary School | Academy | 2.1 miles | 238 | Outstanding 2024 | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Merefield School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Merefield School yet.
How many pupils does Merefield School have?
116 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 116 places, so it is 100% full.
What is attendance like at Merefield School?
Pupils were in school 92.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Merefield School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Merefield School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Westminster Drive, Southport, PR8 2QZ
- Telephone
- 01704 577163
- Website
- www.merefieldschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Joanne Sharpe
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 3-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Southport Learning Trust (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Sefton
- Ward
- Ainsdale
- Constituency
- Sefton Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 October 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 152092 · LAESTAB 3437006 · UKPRN 10098911
- Formerly
- Merefield School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.