Wirral Grammar Schools
- Calday Grange Grammar School
- St Anselm’s College
- The Blue Coat School
- Upton Hall School
- West Kirby Grammar School
- Wirral Grammar School for Boys
- Wirral Grammar School for Girls
Calday Grange Grammar School
Entrance Exam Dates: September
The 11 plus in Wirral is administered by the Wirral Borough Council.
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schools/regions/wirral-liverpool-11-plus
No date given on official school website but does corroborate the information above.
https://www.calday.co.uk/admissions
Ofsted Report: Good
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/139144
Test Type: GL
All of the Wirral Grammar Schools have been advised that the test provider for September will be GL Assessment. This is a change from the previous test provider which was CEM.
https://www.calday.co.uk/admissions
Specialisation
Strong Focus on Drama
Drama at Calday is a vital, vibrant and energetic part of the life and ethos of the school. We are unique partners with the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, affording us access to reduced rate tickets for all of their productions and the opportunity to be involved with a range of projects at the theatres. We also have close links with the Liverpool Empire and Off the Ground Theatre. We regularly invite artists into school offering a range of workshops, with everything from modern dance to stage combat.
Reputation in Sports
We enjoy a national reputation for producing teams and individuals who are either winners or regarded as somewhat tough to beat!
In May 2018, our under 16 football team were crowned national champions in the ESFA Premier League Under 16 Schools Cup final.
On site the school has a gymnasium, fitness suite, hard courts and grass pitches used for rugby, football and athletics. Just a mile from the main school is Glasspool Fields Sports Facility which boasts an all-weather hockey pitch, rugby fields, cricket pitch and a changing pavilion.
House Music
The House Music Festival is one of the highlights of the school year. The event is organised and led by senior music prefects. It provides an opportunity for students across all years to work as a team to produce a musical extravaganza!
Notable former students include Andy McCluskey from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and more recently Jack Patterson and Luke Patterson from Clean Bandit.
Offer Duke of Edinburgh Award & Cadet training.
School has its own app for parents.
Edulink is our free self-serve parent app that brings all of the key information about your child into one place. Available for both Apple and Android devices it allows you to find everything that you need to know about your child when you need it.
Specialist teacher support
Emma Holmes is the school’s Learning Support Teacher and is a qualified Dyslexia and Irlen’s teacher. Students with dyslexia receive one to one support from her.
Spelling, comprehension and reading support groups operate for Year 7 students each year.
Learning Support Assistants
The role of the Learning Support Assistant is to adapt classwork, provide one to one sessions and ensure that each student’s Student Support Plan is followed by teaching staff.
The LRC has over 6000 non-fiction and 4000 fiction books available and if you can’t find the book you want we can order it for you.
https://www.calday.co.uk/_site/data/files/users/admissions/63357257AD9F8E45C65F4A238C703DAA.pdf
GCSE Results
The percentage of entries achieving grade 9 was 12.4%
The percentage of entries achieving grades 7-9 was 52.2%.
99.4% of students achieving 5 or more GCSE grades at 4 or above.
St Anselm’s College
Entrance Exam Dates: September
Ofsted Report: Good
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/136780
Test Type:
Practice Papers
https://www.st-anselms.com/224/sample-entrance-exam-papers
Specialisation
Sports
The college has a long tradition of excellence in sport and we are proud to have achieved the prestigious sportsmark award from sport england in recognition of our commitment to promoting the benefits of physical education. We are proud of the high standards achieved, particularly in athletics, cross country and rugby. Our teams consistently reach the finals of national competitions in both athletics and cross country, the rugby teams compete successfully against many of the best schools in the northwest and the college has even represented england in international events. Distinguished old boys include several rugby internationals – British lion and heineken cup winner,austin healey;england three- quarter, Ben Johnston; and ireland backs
simon mason and christian saverimutto.
Boys school.
Music
Music forms an essential part of the curriculum and college life. The fully equipped music Faculty has its own ICT room and wireless network. Each boy is given the opportunity to play an instrument, with tuition from permanent and peripatetic tutors who encourage students to develop their talents beyond basic abilities into specialist skills. Our range of musical societies includes the Orchestra, Junior choir, swing Band, Wind Band, Brass ensemble, guitar group and samba Band. Our musicians often perform publicly – including in events abroad – and great excitement surrounds the annual ‘Battle of the Bands’, which culminates in a final at Liverpool’s new cavern club.
College clubs and societies allow boys to pursue a wide range of interests including art, chess, computing, drama, the Outwood heritage society, languages, roboteering, science technology and web authoring. We also encourage students to participate in the duke of edinburgh’s award scheme.
All students have the opportunity to participate in residential retreats to foster their spiritual development and enhance self-awareness.
We are proud to hold the greater merseyside connexions Quality award for careers education and guidance.
The school does not publish there GCSE results.
The Blue Coat School
Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/1358969/blue-coat-y7-guidance-about-the-admissions-process.pdf
Ofsted Report: Outstanding
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137916
Test Type:
Specialisation
Church of England School.
Religious Studies
Religious Studies is studied by everyone throughout their time at Blue Coat. The quality of provision, learning, student enjoyment and progress has been recognised by the National Gold Quality Mark for RE. In Years 7-9 pupils learn about religious belief across all the main world faiths. At GCSE we focus on Christianity and Islam.
Music
The Blue Coat School has an outstandingly successful music department. The Blue Coat School Brass Band and Senior Choir have won many prestigious national awards as part of the National Festival of Music for Youth, held at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham. These successes led to invitations for both ensembles to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, London, as part of the School’s Prom
in 2014 and 2016. In addition there is an excellent orchestra, a superb jazz orchestra, 2 thriving choirs and a huge range of smaller ensembles, which play and perform across the musical repertoire.
We encourage all students, be they existing musicians or novices to explore the extra- curricular music opportunities that we provide, and to use the superb facilities, with their practice rooms and a state-of-the-art recording studio to create recordings of performances and composition.
https://www.blue-coat.org/wp-content/uploads/blue-coat-prospectus-2017final.pdf
GCSE Results
Students excelled in maths, history physics, chemistry and biology with the majority of students receiving a grad 9.
https://www.rbcs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/GCSE-RESULTS-2019.pdf
Upton Hall School
Entrance Exam Dates: September
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schools/regions/wirral-liverpool-11-plus
Year 6 pupils sit Upton Hall School FCJ Entrance Examination, including those with Special Educational Needs. Examination sittings will take place throughout the day.
Year 6 pupils sit Upton Hall School FCJ Entrance Examination. This date is for those who are unable to attend on the date of the main sitting due to illness (parents may need to provide medical evidence).
Ofsted Report: Converted to an Academy, rated as outstanding prior.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/105115
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137929
Test Type:
Specialisation
Founded in 1849
Music
Music has always made a significant contribution to all school events since the school was founded. A large portion of our pupils are involved in the musical life of the school. In Year 7 free instrumental music lessons take place within the curriculum for ALL pupils and in year 8 for those with a particular aptitude. Many pupils take Associate Board Examinations.
Sports
School has a full size Sports Hall, all weather tennis and netball courts, an artificial turf hockey pitch and extensive playing field.
https://www.uptonhallschool.co.uk/_site/data/publications/prospectus/index.html?pid=6
GCSE Results
More than a quarter of all students who took a GCSE in Religious Studies, Music and Sports Studies were awarded a top grade 9. More than a third of students in the science subjects, History, Geography and English Literature attained a grade 8 or 9.
https://www.uptonhallschool.co.uk/news/?pid=3&nid=1&storyid=345
West Kirby Grammar School
Entrance Exam Dates: September
The 11 plus in Wirral is administered by the Wirral Borough Council.
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schools/regions/wirral-liverpool-11-plus
Ofsted Report: Converted to an Academy, rated as outstanding prior.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/105099
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137243
Test Type:
Specialisation
Global Citizens
Our links around the world help students to
grasp complex global issues with a deeper level of understanding, and to build lifelong friendships through visits to different countries. Recent trips include Auschwitz, the battlefields of northern France, Paris, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Iceland and Florida, as well visits to communities in rural China.
This commitment to embedding international awareness and understanding across our curriculum has earned us the International School Award from the British Council.
Drama
Drama productions are a highlight of the school year. Our talented performers have even staged a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and graced the stage of local theatres.
https://wkgs.org/files/uploads/WKGS_Prospectus_v5.pdf
The school also offers lessons in Latin.
https://wkgs.org/prospective/school/school-life/subjects/latin
…food and nutrition
https://wkgs.org/prospective/school/school-life/subjects/food-and-nutrition
… and business.
https://wkgs.org/prospective/school/school-life/subjects/economics-and-business
GCSE Results
66% of all students achieved grades 8 and 9 in their results.
51 students (almost a third of the year group), achieved 10 or more 9-7 (A*/A) grades.
https://wkgs.org/latest-news/archive/gcse-results-2019
Wirral Grammar School for Boys
Entrance Exam Dates: September
The 11 plus in Wirral is administered by the Wirral Borough Council.
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schools/regions/wirral-liverpool-11-plus
Ofsted Report: Converted to an Academy, rated as outstanding prior.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/105113
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137476
Test Type: GL
All of the Wirral Grammar Schools have been advised that the test provider for September with be GL Assessment. This is a change from the previous test provider which was CEM.
http://www.wirralgrammarboys.com/page/11-familiarisation
Specialisation
Sports
Physical Education and Games play a major role within our School and extra-curricular sport is an area in which we pride ourselves. Our ethos is not just about developing elite sportsmen but also about providing all boys with the opportunity to participate and achieve the best they can.
The School benefits from very good facilities in the form of a Sports Hall, incorporating a fitness suite and teaching room, gymnasium and extensive on site playing fields. We also utilise the nearby Bebington Oval Sports Centre, and make regular use of the astro turf hockey pitch.
Our main winter games are Rugby Union and Hockey, and in summer, the main sports are Cricket and Athletics.
The School runs an annual ski trip to Austria which is very popular and caters for all levels, from beginners to advanced skiers.
The School also boasts a proud tradition in overseas touring. In recent years pupils have travelled to Canada, USA, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the West Indies as well as all over mainland Europe, representing Wirral Grammar School at Rugby, Hockey and Cricket. Tours regularly include over 80 boys and are frequently the culmination and reward for seven years of hard work and commitment to school sport.
http://www.wirralgrammarboys.com/page/spot-at-wirral-grammar-school
Have a therapy dog.
http://www.wirralgrammarboys.com/news/335
Students have option to study business and PHSE along with other more traditional subjects.
http://www.wirralgrammarboys.com/subject/
GCSE Results
School does not publish GCSE results.
Wirral Grammar School for Girls
Entrance Exam Dates:
The 11 plus in Wirral is administered by the Wirral Borough Council.
https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/schools/regions/wirral-liverpool-11-plus
Date published on schools official website from May
http://www.wirralgirls.co.uk/admissions/62.html
Ofsted Report: Converted to an Academy, rated as outstanding prior.
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/105098
https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/137171
Test Type: GL
All of the Wirral Grammar Schools have been advised that the test provider for September with be GL Assessment. This is a change from the previous test provider which was CEM.
http://www.wirralgirls.co.uk/11-assessment-provider-and-familiarisation/9004606.html
Specialisation
Music is a real strength in the school. Currently over 400 girls receive instrumental music tuition from visiting music tutors. Many of these girls perform in the schools ensembles, orchestras and choirs.
The school is notably strong in provisions for the arts and each year a number of high quality performances involving drama and dance take place.
Students have option to study citizenship and PHSE along with other more traditional subjects.
http://www.wirralgirls.co.uk/our-prospectus/2859.html
GCSE Results
An exceptional 33 pupils gained 10 or more 9-7 grades.
58% of all grades were awarded at the very highest grades of 9-7.
http://www.wirralgirls.co.uk/gcse-success/3807274.html