Wirral schools in numbers
How Wirral's 135 schools compare with North West and England on every headline measure, with the council's rank out of the English councils that have data. Ranks run from best to worst for each measure (highest attendance first, lowest exclusions first, and so on).
Schools135open, all types
Pupils50,451on roll
Primary schools91
Secondary schools20
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Wirral | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 125 schools | 37.3% | 29.0% | 26.3% | 128thof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 122 schools | 36.6% | 29.8% | 27.1% | 117thof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 125 schools | 7.7% | 16.7% | 18.6% | 130thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 117 schools | 17.6% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 9thof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 117 schools | 14.7% | 12.7% | 11.6% | 25thof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Wirral | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 107 schools | 23.6 | 24.9 | 25.0 | 15thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 107 schools | 10.7% | 11.5% | 10.6% | 88thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 123 schools | 18.0 | 19.1 | 19.0 | 27thof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 112 schools | 14.3% | 13.5% | 15.0% | 67thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 122 schools | £50,889 | £51,081 | £51,377 | 84thof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 109 schools | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 87thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Wirral | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 110 schools | 92.8% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 142ndof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 110 schools | 19.2% | 15.9% | 15.8% | 133rdof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 110 schools | 8.2 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 106thof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Wirral | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 117 schools | £14,243 | £9,291 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 117 schools | £6,989 | £4,183 | £4,229 | 2ndof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 125 schools | 5.3% | 6.6% | 8.3% | 122ndof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 125 schools | 19.2% | 15.2% | 14.1% | 105thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Wirral | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 19 schools | 47.3% | 42.3% | 46.1% | 48thof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 19 schools | 47.4 | 45.3 | 47.0 | 48thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 75 schools | 56.9% | 61.3% | 63.1% | 145thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 75 schools | 5.9% | 7.1% | 8.3% | 131stof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Wirral | North West | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 115 schools | 17% | 15% | 13% | 26thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 80 schools | 89% | 93% | 94% | 137thof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 100 schools | 29% | 32% | 35% | 102ndof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 105 schools | 84.4% | 88.5% | 86.2% | 100thof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 131 schools | 44% | 38% | 52% | 97thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 131 schools | 23.7% | 14.6% | 12.0% | 20thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
WirralEngland
Since 2016: -1.7%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
WirralEngland
Since 2019: +12.4%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
WirralEngland
Since 2017: -1.3%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
WirralEngland
Since 2016: +9.4%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
WirralEngland
Since 2007: +0.8