West Derby School
364 West Derby Rd, Liverpool, L13 7HQ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Trust
- WEST DERBY SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Sian Graham
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Liverpool West Derby
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,073
- Pupils on roll
- 1,011
- URN
- 138696
- Local authority
- Liverpool
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01512351300
About this school
West Derby School is a boys' secondary academy in Liverpool. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,011 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 171 | 174 | 171 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.5 | 37.9 | 42.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.23 -0.44 to -0.01 | -0.66 -0.87 to -0.44 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 34% | 24.7% | 42.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 53% | 55.2% | 64.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 3% | 35.1% | 35.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How West Derby 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 | Liverpool average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.5 | 36.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 37.9 | 35.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,020 |
| 2023/24 | 1,004 |
| 2024/25 | 996 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How West Derby School compares
West Derby School ranked 14th of 29 secondary schools in Liverpool for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 45% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42 | 9% | 41.7% | 1,011 | — |
| Holly Lodge Girls' College | 47.2 | 10.9% | 54.1% | 1,016 | 0.3 miles |
| St Edward's College | 51.6 | 6.8% | 18.6% | 1,150 | 0.5 miles |
| The Academy of St Francis of Assisi | 35.8 | 11% | 62.7% | 873 | 1.0 miles |
| Dixons Broadgreen Academy | 34.4 | 12.1% | 52.7% | 1,159 | 1.3 miles |
| Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School | 40.9 | 7.6% | 36% | 1,338 | 1.4 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)
- 41.67%
- English as an additional language
- 12.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.99%
- Persistent absence
- 23.16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Holly Lodge Girls' College0.3 miles
Secondary · Liverpool
-
St Edward's College0.5 miles
Secondary · Liverpool
-
The Academy of St Francis of Assisi1.0 miles
Secondary · Liverpool
-
Dixons Broadgreen Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Liverpool
-
Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School1.4 miles
Secondary · Liverpool
Other schools in Liverpool
West Derby School ranks 21st of the 40 ranked secondary schools in Liverpool.
- Alsop High School Secondary
- Archbishop Beck Catholic College Secondary
- Archbishop Blanch CofE High School Secondary
- Bellerive FCJ Catholic College Secondary
- Broughton Hall Catholic High School Secondary
- Calderstones School Secondary
- Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School Secondary
- Chesterfield High School Secondary
- Childwall Sports & Science Academy Secondary
- Deyes High School Secondary
- Dixons Broadgreen Academy Secondary
- Dixons Croxteth Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does West Derby School teach?
- West Derby School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Liverpool.
- Who is the headteacher of West Derby School?
- The headteacher of West Derby School is Sian Graham, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was West Derby School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West Derby 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 West Derby School?
- West Derby School has 1,011 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is West Derby School full?
- West Derby School has capacity for 1,073 pupils and 1,011 on roll (94%), so it has space against 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 West Derby School a faith school?
- No. West Derby School has no designated religious character.
- Is West Derby School a selective school?
- No. West Derby School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs West Derby School?
- West Derby School is part of WEST DERBY SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have West Derby School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.5 in 2022/23 and 42 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does West Derby School rank locally?
- West Derby School ranked 14th of 29 secondary schools in Liverpool for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 45% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is West Derby School's absence rate?
- West Derby School's overall absence rate is 9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are West Derby School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, West Derby 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 1 July 2026.