St Anselm's College vs Upton Hall School FCJ
Both are grammar schools in Wirral, 2.1 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.
Side by side
| St Anselm's College | Upton Hall School FCJ | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary |
| Gender | Boys | Girls |
| Pupils on roll | 985 | 1,011 |
| Free school meals | 11.8% | 9.6% |
| Ofsted rating | Good | Outstanding |
| Attainment 8 — 2024/25 | 57.2 | 65.6 |
| A-level average points — 2024/25 | 37.72 | 37.91 |
| 11+ test board | Quest Assessments (switched from GL Assessment; from September 2026 test / 2027 entry onwards) | Quest Assessments (switched from GL Assessment; from September 2026 test / 2027 entry onwards) |
| Admission system | pass/fail then criteria order | pass/fail then criteria order |
| Places offered — 202627 | 157 | 156 |
| First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place | 0.99 | 1.06 |
Qualifying scores
St Anselm's College
No fixed pass mark. St Anselm's College offers its ~140 Year 7 places in rank order of total score on its own 3-paper entrance test (VR, maths, English incl. writing), with Catholic oversubscription categories applied.
Upton Hall School FCJ
No fixed guaranteed pass mark. Upton Hall School FCJ sets its required standard annually on its own 2-paper GL exam (English + VR); recent unofficial reports put the mark around 236 standardised — verify with the school for the current year.
Who gets priority
Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.
St Anselm's College
- Baptised Catholic Looked After and previously Looked After Boys
- Baptised Catholic boys living in the relevant area (Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester, and other areas within 10 miles o
- All other Looked After and previously Looked After boys
- Baptised Christian, non-Catholic boys, living in the relevant area
Source: school admissions policy.
Upton Hall School FCJ
- Looked after, previously looked after, or adopted from state care
- Baptised Roman Catholic girls eligible for Free School Meals at time of application
- Baptised Roman Catholic girls
- Children of school staff employed ≥2 years
Source: school admissions policy.
Choosing between them
St Anselm's College is a boys school and Upton Hall School FCJ is a girls school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.
Other Wirral comparisons
- Calday Grange Grammar School vs St Anselm's College
- Calday Grange Grammar School vs Upton Hall School FCJ
- Calday Grange Grammar School vs West Kirby Grammar School
- Calday Grange Grammar School vs Wirral Grammar School for Boys
- Calday Grange Grammar School vs Wirral Grammar School for Girls
- St Anselm's College vs West Kirby Grammar School
- St Anselm's College vs Wirral Grammar School for Boys
- St Anselm's College vs Wirral Grammar School for Girls
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