Schools in Southport
Southport in Sefton, Merseyside has 32 schools - 21 primaries and five secondaries, with 12 academies and 11 faith-designated schools. The resort town has a strong independent and Catholic school tradition, and competition for places at certain faith secondaries can be intense, particularly for families who are not parishioners of the associated church.
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council co-ordinates school admissions for the area. The five secondary schools in Southport serve both the town and the outlying villages of Churchtown and Ainsdale. Families applying to faith schools must submit supplementary information forms (SIFs) directly to the school in addition to the council application - missing the SIF deadline is a common and costly error in Sefton's admissions cycle.
School demand in Southport
Across the 28 schools in Southport with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 95%. 8 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.
11 schools in Southport have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
12 of the schools in Southport are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Sefton, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
15 of the schools in Southport have a current Ofsted rating, of which 13 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Southport: 4 oversubscribed (21)
Birkdale Primary School
Primary · Community school
Southport · PR8 4EL
Farnborough Road Junior School
Primary · Community school
Southport · PR8 3DF
Farnborough Road Infant School
Primary · Community school
Southport · PR8 3DF
Norwood Primary School
Primary · Community school
Southport · PR9 7DU
Marshside Primary School
Primary · Community school
Southport · PR9 9XA
Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre
Primary · Community school
Southport · PR8 3RS
Larkfield Primary School
Primary · Community school
Southport · PR9 8PA
St John's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Southport · PR9 8JH
St Philip's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Southport · PR8 6SS
Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Southport · PR9 7DU
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Southport · PR9 9RR
Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Southport · PR9 7BZ
Banks St Stephen's CofE School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Southport · PR9 8BL
Banks Methodist School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Southport · PR9 8EY
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Southport
Primary · Academy converter
Southport · PR9 9AZ
Shoreside Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Southport · PR8 2QZ
Churchtown Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Southport · PR9 7NN
Kew Woods Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Southport · PR8 6JW
Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Southport · PR8 3JE
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Southport · PR8 4LT
Linaker Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Southport · PR8 5DB
Secondary Schools in Southport (5)
Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre
Secondary · Voluntary aided school
Southport · PR8 4EX
Birkdale High School
Secondary · Academy converter
Southport · PR8 3DT
Greenbank High School
Secondary · Academy converter
Southport · PR8 2LT
Stanley High School
Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Southport · PR9 9TF
Meols Cop High School
Secondary · Academy converter
Southport · PR8 6JS
Other Schools in Southport (6)
Crossens Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school
Southport · PR9 8PA
Presfield High School and Specialist College
Not applicable · Community special school
Southport · PR9 8PA
Southport Education Group
All through · Further education
Southport · PR9 0TT
Peterhouse School
Not applicable · Non-maintained special school
Southport · PR9 8PA
Educ8 Southport
Not applicable · Other independent special school
Southport · PR8 6DG
Merefield School
Not applicable · Academy special converter
Southport · PR8 2QZ
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Southport are set by Sefton and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.