Birkdale Primary School
Matlock Road, Birkdale, Southport, PR8 4EL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Nick Sheeran
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Southport
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 410
- Pupils on roll
- 430
- URN
- 104860
- Local authority
- Sefton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01704567516
About this school
Birkdale Primary School is a community primary school in Southport. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 430 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 17 April 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 61 | 58 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 66% | 30% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 3% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 74% | 81% | 60% |
| Expected standard in maths | 66% | 76% | 67% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 83% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 106.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Birkdale Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Sefton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 55.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 30% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 453 |
| 2023/24 | 442 |
| 2024/25 | 444 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Birkdale Primary School compares
Birkdale Primary School ranked 65th of 69 primary schools in Sefton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 30% | 6.2% | 23.8% | 430 | — |
| Linaker Primary School | — | 6.4% | 35.1% | 359 | 0.4 miles |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School | 58% | 4.7% | 21.7% | 447 | 0.8 miles |
| St Philip's Church of England Primary School | 80% | 4.1% | 23.9% | 207 | 0.9 miles |
| Farnborough Road Junior School | 68% | 3.9% | 17.1% | 468 | 1.1 miles |
| Farnborough Road Infant School | — | 4.3% | 10.3% | 428 | 1.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 23.77%
- English as an additional language
- 7.9%
- Overall absence
- 6.19%
- Persistent absence
- 17.08%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Linaker Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Southport
-
St Philip's Church of England Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Farnborough Road Junior School1.1 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Farnborough Road Infant School1.1 miles
Primary · Southport
Other schools in Southport
Birkdale Primary School ranks 19th of the 19 ranked primary schools in Southport.
- Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Banks Methodist School Primary
- Banks St Stephen's CofE School Primary
- Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary School Primary
- Churchtown Primary School Primary
- Farnborough Road Infant School Primary
- Farnborough Road Junior School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Southport Primary
- Kew Woods Primary School Primary
- Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre Primary
- Larkfield Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Birkdale Primary School teach?
- Birkdale Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Southport.
- Who is the headteacher of Birkdale Primary School?
- The headteacher of Birkdale Primary School is Mr Nick Sheeran, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Birkdale Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Birkdale Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Birkdale Primary School?
- Birkdale Primary School has 430 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Birkdale Primary School full?
- Birkdale Primary School has capacity for 410 pupils and 430 on roll (105%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Birkdale Primary School a faith school?
- No. Birkdale Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Birkdale Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Birkdale Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Birkdale Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% in 2022/23 and 30% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Birkdale Primary School rank locally?
- Birkdale Primary School ranked 65th of 69 primary schools in Sefton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Birkdale Primary School's absence rate?
- Birkdale Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Birkdale Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Birkdale Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.