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
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At a glance
Upton Hall School FCJ is a selective Roman Catholic girls' grammar on the Wirral, with a sixth form that now also welcomes boys. The school traces its history to 1849, when it was opened by the FCJ Sisters, part of a religious society founded in nineteenth-century France by Marie Madeleine. Its own history page makes the identity unusually clear: Upton Hall began as a school for girls with a broad cultural and academic curriculum, and its mission was to help young women develop fully and contribute to the world.
The modern curriculum statement keeps that breadth. Upton says its curriculum is designed for academic excellence and for awareness of the wider world, helping girls move from one stage of education to the next while developing strengths, talents and passions. The school regularly reviews the curriculum and publishes sections for Years 7 and 8, Year 9, Years 10 and 11, Years 12 and 13, subjects, library, pedagogy, assessment and reporting, extra-curricular work and homework.
Catholic ethos and sixth-form facilities are central to how the school presents itself. Upton's FCJ values material speaks about excellence, hope, companionship and recognising the unique giftedness of each person. The sixth-form facilities page says a new sixth-form building opened in September 2020, with a study and reading room, modern work and social spaces, Wi-Fi and a cafe. Sport, drama, music and curriculum breadth are also visible in the school material, with drama visible as a co-curricular marker.
Year 7 admission has 156 places. The Upton Hall entrance examination consists of one verbal reasoning paper and one English test, taken on the same morning; candidates must meet the qualifying standard, including minimum standards in each part of the test. Oversubscription priorities include looked-after and previously looked-after children, baptised Roman Catholic girls eligible for free school meals, baptised Roman Catholic girls, children of staff, non-Catholic girls eligible for free school meals and other non-Catholic girls. Public measures show Ofsted Outstanding from 2022, +0.91 Progress 8, 97.4% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 17.4% AAB or better at A level.
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.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,011 pupils; 1,002 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 83.2% | White | 841 |
| Indian | 4.4% | Asian | 44 |
| Any other mixed background | 2.6% | Mixed | 26 |
| Any other White background | 2.6% | White | 26 |
| Any other Asian background | 1.3% | Asian | 13 |
| White and Asian | 1.3% | Mixed | 13 |
| African | 1.1% | Black | 11 |
| Unclassified | 0.9% | Unclassified | 9 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.7% | Mixed | 7 |
| Any other ethnic group | 0.6% | Other | 6 |
| Chinese | 0.5% | Asian | 5 |
| White and Black African | 0.4% | Mixed | 4 |
| Any other Black background | 0.3% | Black | 3 |
| Irish | 0.2% | White | 2 |
| Pakistani | 0.1% | Asian | 1 |
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.
Upton Hall School FCJ currently uses Individual. The published format currently lists 1 paper. Scores are published as age-standardised.
Shared exam route
Upton Hall School FCJ uses the shared Wirral route. Use these common practice resources for the route, then check the full consortium guide for the complete set and current test guidance.
View all Wirral practice papersPaper 1
Verbal reasoning, 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 and Science 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
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% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 98% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 0% |
| In employment | 1% |
Latest inspection: 29 June 2022
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
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
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Best Grammar Schools in the UK
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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.