Wirral / Wirral 11+
Upton, Wirral, CH49 6LJ
Upton Hall School FCJ
1
A selective girls grammar school in Wirral, Merseyside, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,011 pupils on roll.
At a glance
At a glance
A selective girls grammar school in Wirral, Merseyside, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,011 pupils on roll. Upton Hall School FCJ serves girls aged 11-18 and keeps a full sixth form on site. Current published roll and admissions data point to around 1,011 pupils on roll and 140 Year 7 places. The school also has a Roman Catholic character, which can matter for families thinking about ethos as well as academic fit.
From a family point of view, admissions are likely to be one of the most important parts of the picture. The current route includes Individual, with 140 places available in Year 7 and demand that currently looks moderate by grammar-school standards. Catchment or distance rules still matter at allocation stage, so this is the kind of school where families need to read the admissions policy carefully rather than rely on headline scores alone.
The academic side of the school is backed by enough published data to give families a useful starting point. The latest published Ofsted judgement is Outstanding. Recent official performance measures show Progress 8 at 0.91 and Attainment 8 at 68.2. 89.9% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths in the latest stored GCSE figures. In the sixth form, 17.4% of entries were awarded AAB or better at A level. Destinations data also suggest strong progression after sixth form, with 74% moving into higher education.
The wider offer currently includes Drama. For many parents, the presence of a sixth form is part of the attraction, because it gives able pupils the option to stay in a familiar academic setting through to A level. Taken together, those features make Upton Hall School FCJ the kind of school that rewards careful research into travel, admissions detail, and day-to-day fit, not just headline outcomes.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Wirral and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Wirral and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Wirral and England.
There is no published Year 7 catchment priority; after the qualifying standard, places follow care, Catholic, free-school-meals and staff categories.
Looked after and previously looked after children
Applies to candidates meeting the required standard.
Baptised Roman Catholic girls eligible for free school meals
Priority applies to qualifying candidates eligible for free school meals at the time of application.
Baptised Roman Catholic girls
Includes girls baptised Christian who have subsequently been admitted to the Roman Catholic Church.
Children of staff
Applies where the staff member has been employed by the school for two or more years.
Non-Catholic girls eligible for free school meals
Applies where parents want a Roman Catholic education and the candidate meets the free-school-meals condition.
Other non-Catholic girls
Remaining qualifying candidates are considered after the listed priority groups.
Structured exam detail is still being reviewed.
This school uses the shared Wirral consortium route. The consortium page brings together the common test format, key dates and official papers used across that route.
Open Wirral guidePaper 1
VR, English
Upton Hall entrance examination
One verbal reasoning paper and one English test, taken on the same morning.
English and Verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
Maths, Non-verbal reasoning, Science and Creative writing are not listed in the current published format.
English
Verbal reasoning
One verbal reasoning paper and one English test, taken on the same morning.
Maths
Non-verbal reasoning
Science
Creative writing
School application deadline
10 July 2026
Entrance examination
19 September 2026
Reserve examination date
23 September 2026
Entrance examination results by
23 October 2026
Local authority preference form deadline
31 October 2026
Allocation day
1 March 2027
Submit the school application
Complete the Upton Hall online application by 10 July 2026.
Open applicationSit the entrance examination
The entrance examination has one verbal reasoning paper and one English paper, both taken on the same morning.
Open policySubmit the local authority preference form
Name Upton Hall School FCJ on the local authority preference form by 31 October 2026.
Open LA guidanceSend faith or access evidence
Baptism certificates and access-arrangement evidence must meet the school deadline where those priorities apply.
Open key datesLatest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 68.4 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 66.5 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 68.2 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 65.6 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | B average (40.3 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B average (40.1 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B- average (38.0 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B- average (37.9 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 100% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 99% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 98% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 99% | 97.8% | 91.4% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 98% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 0% |
| In employment | 1% |
Latest inspection: 29 June 2022
Local rivals first, then nearby alternatives that still fit the same shortlist-building context.
Same Wirral area with a comparable local commute
Same Wirral area with a comparable local commute
Same wider selective region with a comparable travel distance
Same wider selective region with a comparable travel distance
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Best Grammar Schools in Wirral
Compare the best grammar schools in Wirral for the 2026 admissions cycle using published GCSE results, Ofsted, admissions routes, and practical local context. Much of Wirral sits within the Wirral route, so shared testing still matters alongside each school's own admissions rules.
Best Girls' Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best girls grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county and Ofsted before comparing realistic shortlist options.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county, school type, and Ofsted. Useful for broad searches like top UK grammar schools, grammar school rankings, and 11+ school shortlists.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Best Grammar Schools in Wirral
Compare the best grammar schools in Wirral for the 2026 admissions cycle using published GCSE results, Ofsted, admissions routes, and practical local context. Much of Wirral sits within the Wirral route, so shared testing still matters alongside each school's own admissions rules.
Best Girls' Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best girls grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county and Ofsted before comparing realistic shortlist options.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county, school type, and Ofsted. Useful for broad searches like top UK grammar schools, grammar school rankings, and 11+ school shortlists.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Upton Hall School FCJ currently uses Individual.
1. Submit the school application: Complete the Upton Hall online application by 10 July 2026. 2. Sit the entrance examination: The entrance examination has one verbal reasoning paper and one English paper, both taken on the same morning. 3. Submit the local authority preference form: Name Upton Hall School FCJ on the local authority preference form by 31 October 2026. 4. Send faith or access evidence: Baptism certificates and access-arrangement evidence must meet the school deadline where those priorities apply.
School application deadline: 10 July 2026. Entrance examination: 19 September 2026. Reserve examination date: 23 September 2026. Entrance examination results by: 23 October 2026. Local authority preference form deadline: 31 October 2026. Allocation day: 1 March 2027
Upton Hall School FCJ is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 29 June 2022.