When are the 2026 GCSE results for Sefton schools published?

Pupils receive their results in August, but school-by-school figures come from the DfE performance tables, which publish provisional results in the autumn (usually mid-October) and revised figures early in the new year. This table shows 2026 results, the 2025/26 academic year, and updates when the next release is imported.

What is Attainment 8?

Attainment 8 is the DfE's headline GCSE measure: the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. A score of 50 means pupils averaged roughly a grade 5 across those subjects. No Progress 8 exists for 2026 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2021.

Why does a school in Sefton show no GCSE results?

A school has no published figure when it had no Year 11 cohort in the year (a new school, or one that opened with younger year groups), when it converted to an academy and the DfE published results under its previous identity, or when it is independent and its pupils sat IGCSE, Pre-U or IB qualifications that the DfE tables do not count. Independent schools with a published figure are listed separately and unranked for that reason.

Sefton GCSE results 2026: secondary school league table

Q: Which school has the best GCSE results in Sefton?

On 2026 Attainment 8, Birkdale High School tops the table in Sefton with 51.7, against an England average of 46.2. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so compare a school's grade 5+ pass rate and, where published, its Progress 8 before reading the rank as a verdict.

18 state secondary schools in Sefton ranked on their 2026 GCSE results (Attainment 8, the 2025/26 academic year, the latest DfE has published for every school), with grade 7+, grade 5+ and grade 4+ in English and maths, cohort size for each school against the England average. 2 independent schools with published results are listed separately, unranked.

Local Authority 18 state secondary schools 2025/26 results

Secondary schools in Sefton ranked on Attainment 8

18 of 18 schools have published 2026 results. Source: DfE school performance tables, 2025/26.

Secondary schools in Sefton ranked on Attainment 8, 2026 results
Rank	School	Attainment 8	Grade 7+ English & maths	Grade 5+ English & maths	Grade 4+ English & maths	EBacc APS	Pupils
–	England average	46.2	14%	46%	65%	–	–
1 , up 1 place since 2025	Birkdale High School Southport · Academy converter	51.7	17%	60%	76%	–	185
2 , down 1 place since 2025	Formby High School Liverpool · Academy converter	51.5	18%	54%	78%	–	172
3 , up 5 places since 2025	Range High School Liverpool · Academy converter	50.2	15%	51%	77%	–	183
4 , down 1 place since 2025	Greenbank High School Southport · Academy converter	49.9	11%	47%	73%	–	204
5 , down 1 place since 2025	Chesterfield High School Liverpool · Academy converter	48.0	13%	49%	71%	–	281
6 , down 1 place since 2025	Holy Family Catholic High School Liverpool · Voluntary aided school	45.2	11%	40%	60%	–	166
7 , up 3 places since 2025	Sacred Heart Catholic Academy Liverpool · Academy sponsor led	44.9	11%	50%	71%	–	133
8 , down 1 place since 2025	Maricourt Catholic High School Liverpool · Voluntary aided school	44.6	13%	35%	60%	–	192
9	Deyes High School Liverpool · Academy converter	44.1	12%	41%	62%	–	232
10 , down 4 places since 2025	Meols Cop High School Southport · Academy converter	42.9	2%	40%	62%	–	177
11	Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre Southport · Voluntary aided school	42.8	13%	37%	56%	–	175
12 , up 1 place since 2025	Stanley High School Southport · Academy sponsor led	40.8	6%	34%	58%	–	173
13	St Michaels Church of England Academy Crosby · Academy sponsor led	39.6	10%	29%	52%	–	94
14	Hillside High School Bootle · Academy sponsor led	39.1	7%	40%	59%	–	119
15	Maghull High School Liverpool · Academy converter	38.4	4%	25%	49%	–	183
16 , down 4 places since 2025	Litherland High School Liverpool · Academy sponsor led	37.2	4%	33%	54%	–	137
17 , down 1 place since 2025	King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes Bootle · Free schools	35.7	2%	17%	39%	–	123
18 , down 2 places since 2025	The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco Bootle · Academy sponsor led	34.2	4%	17%	39%	–	105

Under each rank: the change since the 2025 table, in places gained (+) or lost (−). No figure means the rank is unchanged or the school had no ranked 2025 result.

Independent schools in Sefton with published GCSE results

Listed as published, not ranked. The DfE tables count only reformed GCSEs, so a school whose pupils sit IGCSE, Pre-U or the IB reports a lower figure than its results merit, or none at all. Compare independent schools on their own published examination results and inspection reports.

School	Attainment 8 (as published)	Grade 5+ English & maths	Pupils
Merchant Taylors' Schools Liverpool · Other independent school	46.9	0%	123
St. Mary's College Liverpool · Other independent school	62.4	69%	58

How to read this table

Attainment 8 is the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight GCSE subjects: English and maths (double-weighted), three EBacc subjects (sciences, computing, history, geography, languages) and three further approved qualifications. The DfE publishes it for every state school; the England average for 2026 was 46.2.

Grade 7+ in English and maths is the share of pupils reaching the top grades, 7 to 9, in both; grade 5+ is the "strong pass"; grade 4+ is the "standard pass". The DfE stopped publishing EBacc entry and the EBacc average point score from the 2025/26 results, so that column is empty for 2026.

Progress 8 is not shown: the DfE published no Progress 8 for 2026 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2021, the baseline it is measured from. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so a selective school will usually top an attainment-only table.

Ranks are shared where scores tie. Schools are ranked here on published results alone; our composite score, which also weighs Ofsted inspection, progress and attendance, orders the same schools on the best secondary schools page.

See the best secondary schools in Sefton on our composite score

Sefton GCSE results 2026: secondary school league table

Secondary schools in Sefton ranked on Attainment 8

Independent schools in Sefton with published GCSE results

More about schools in Sefton

Sefton GCSE results: common questions