St Anselm's College

Prenton, CH43 1UQ · Wirral grammar school

Ofsted: Good Boys
Test board
Consortium: Wirral Grammar Schools (non-Catholic). Two papers on same day

Ofsted judgement breakdown (2019-07-03)

Overall effectiveness
Good
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding is effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision (where applicable)
Good

Oversubscription criteria

  1. Looked after catholic — Baptised Catholic Looked After and previously Looked After Boys
  2. Catholic area — Baptised Catholic boys living in the relevant area (Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester, and other areas within 10 miles of the College)
  3. Looked after other — All other Looked After and previously Looked After boys
  4. Christian area — Baptised Christian, non-Catholic boys, living in the relevant area
  5. Non baptised — Non-baptised boys whose parents wish them to have a Catholic education

What the entrance test covers

Wirral has THREE different entrance tests depending on the school: 1. The Wirral Admissions Test — shared by the four non-Catholic grammar schools (Calday Grange Grammar School, West Kirby Grammar School, Wirral Grammar School for Boys, Wirral Grammar School for Girls). Two multiple-choice papers taken on the same day, covering verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics. From 2027 entry the papers are supplied by Quest Assessments (previously GL Assessment). One sitting covers all four schools; meeting the standard does not guarantee a place. 2. St Anselm's College (boys, Catholic) — its own entrance test of three one-hour papers produced by the school: verbal reasoning, mathematics, and English (reading comprehension plus a writing task). No fixed pass mark — places are offered in rank order of total score. 3. Upton Hall School FCJ (girls, Catholic) — its own entrance exam of two 50-minute GL Assessment multiple-choice papers: English (Key Stage 2 curriculum — reading comprehension, spelling, grammar, punctuation) and verbal reasoning. The Wirral Admissions Test and the two Catholic schools' tests fall on different dates in September, so a child can attempt all three routes if registered separately for each (the Wirral Admissions Test via the council; the Catholic schools direct).

University destinations

Oxbridge
0%
Russell Group
51%
Top-third university
56%
Any degree
89%

Of the 82-student 2019/20 leaver cohort, sustaining a higher-education destination the following year. This is the last cohort the Department for Education published with an Oxbridge/Russell Group breakdown — these categories were discontinued as official accountability measures after this release, so a more recent figure does not exist.

House prices nearby

Median price, Claughton ward (Year ending Mar 2023)
£190,000

Median price for the school's electoral ward, year ending March 2023 — a neighbourhood-level indicator, not the school's actual admissions catchment (catchments are often smaller than a ward or span parts of several).

Data sourced from GIAS, Ofsted and official Wirral admissions publications. Figures can change year to year — always confirm with the school before applying.

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