Updated for 2026 admissions cycle
The grammar schools in the North West are scattered across several strong local pockets rather than arranged into one continuous regional system. Trafford, Wirral, Lancashire, Liverpool, and Cumbria each contribute a different selective inheritance, which is why the region reads as a collection of local traditions rather than a single hierarchy.
Top schools
Previewing the top 5 grammar schools in North West by GCSE results. The area pages below separate local clusters so routes, admissions rules, and travel patterns are easier to check.
High competition / GL Assessment
Moderate competition / Individual
High competition / GL Assessment
High competition / GL Assessment
High competition / GL Assessment, Individual
Area pages
Each page covers one smaller local area.
These area pages split North West into smaller local groups. That makes it easier to compare schools that are actually part of the same local list.
See all exam areas4 grammar school profiles in Lancashire, covering Clitheroe, Lancaster, and Rossendale, with the local admissions route and journey in view.
2 grammar school profiles in Lancaster, Lancashire, with the local admissions route and journey in view.
1 grammar school profile in Merseyside, with the local admissions route and journey in view.
7 grammar school profiles in 3 counties across North West. The linked Trafford guide covers shared test dates, downloads, and route detail.
1 grammar school profile in Cumbria, with the local admissions route and journey in view.
6 grammar school profiles in Merseyside. The linked Wirral guide covers shared test dates, downloads, and route detail.
Area map
School ranking
This table ranks schools by GCSE results. Before saving a school, open the relevant area page and check the 11+ route, admissions rule, and journey, because those details can vary a lot between areas such as Trafford, Wirral, and Lancashire.
No schools selected to compare yet.
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Cavendish Road, Bowdon
Overall GCSE score:85.1
Assessment: GL Assessment
Competition: 7.3 candidates per place
Blue Coat School, Church Road, Wavertree
Overall GCSE score:81.4
Assessment: Individual
Competition: 5.9 candidates per place
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, Marlborough Road, Bowdon
Overall GCSE score:78.9
Assessment: GL Assessment
Sale Grammar School, Marsland Road
Overall GCSE score:74.3
Assessment: GL Assessment
Saint Ambrose College, Hale Road, Hale Barns
Overall GCSE score:74.1
Assessment: GL Assessment, Individual
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, York Street
Overall GCSE score:69.8
Assessment: GL Assessment
Stretford Grammar School, Granby Road, Stretford
Overall GCSE score:69.6
Assessment: GL Assessment
Lancaster Royal Grammar School, East Road
Overall GCSE score:68.4
Assessment: GL Assessment
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Glen Road
Overall GCSE score:67.9
Assessment: GL Assessment
Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Regent Street
Overall GCSE score:67.2
Assessment: FSCE
Loreto Grammar School, Dunham Road
Overall GCSE score:65.8
Assessment: GL Assessment
Urmston Grammar Academy, Newton Road, Urmston
Overall GCSE score:63.2
Assessment: GL Assessment
West Kirby Grammar School, Graham Road, West Kirby
Overall GCSE score:61.3
Assessment: GL Assessment
Wirral Grammar School for Girls, Heath Road, Bebington
Overall GCSE score:57.8
Assessment: GL Assessment
Calday Grange Grammar School, Grammar School Lane, West Kirby
Overall GCSE score:52.4
Assessment: GL Assessment
Wirral Grammar School for Boys, Cross Lane, Bebington
Overall GCSE score:49.9
Assessment: GL Assessment
Upton Hall School FCJ, Upton
Overall GCSE score:48.7
Assessment: Individual
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith, Ullswater Road
Overall GCSE score:43.9
Assessment: FSCE
St Anselm's College, Manor Hill
Overall GCSE score:23.3
Assessment: Individual
Next checks
Open focused comparisons and guides for the routes, admissions rules, and journeys that matter in North West.
Comparisons
Explore other areas
Nearby region overviews show how the ranking-first picture changes outside one local cluster.
6 grammar school profiles in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, covering Calderdale, Kirklees, and North Yorkshire, with local area hubs for route, admissions and journey detail.
34 grammar school profiles in 5 counties across Midlands, covering 7 local clusters in total, with local area hubs for route, admissions and journey detail.
8 grammar school profiles in Essex, covering Essex and Southend-on-Sea, with local area hubs for route, admissions and journey detail.
57 grammar school profiles in 3 counties across South East, covering 5 local clusters in total, with local area hubs for route, admissions and journey detail.
North West overview
19 grammar schools are spread across 6 local areas, with the biggest groups in Trafford, Wirral, Lancashire, and 3 more.
What stands out
North West contains smaller grammar-school areas rather than one admissions market. The largest groups sit around Trafford, Wirral, Lancashire, Lancaster, and 2 more.
School mix and route
The area includes boys' schools, girls' schools, and co-ed options. North West does not sit on one single test route. Across the wider area you see a mix of GL Assessment, FSCE. 2 local areas also have a named shared test guide.
Where they are
North West is best understood as a set of smaller local areas, each with its own school mix and admissions shape.
Largest local group
Trafford is the biggest local cluster in this wider area, with 7 schools.
Test routes
North West does not sit on one single test route. Across the wider area you see a mix of GL Assessment, FSCE.
School mix
The area includes boys' schools, girls' schools, and co-ed options.
Shared test guides
2 local areas in North West also have a named shared test guide.
The Trafford route sets the local test pattern.
The Wirral route sets the local test pattern.
4 schools in a more self-contained local grammar area.
2 schools in a more self-contained local grammar area.
1 school in a more self-contained local grammar area.
1 school in a more self-contained local grammar area.
FAQ
North West grammar schools are mainly concentrated in Lancashire, Lancaster, Liverpool, Trafford, Westmorland and Furness, and 1 more, rather than one single city-wide or county-wide group.
The area includes boys' schools, girls' schools, and co-ed options.
North West does not sit on one single test route. Across the wider area you see a mix of GL Assessment, FSCE.
They can feel quite different. Some local areas have a named shared test guide, while others are smaller self-contained clusters with their own school mix and local admissions detail.