Apply to West Kirby Grammar School, in plain English.
West Kirby is a selective girls' grammar on the Wirral (with a co-educational sixth form) that admits on the Wirral 11+ — you register for the test with Wirral Council separately from your council application, and the deadline is 1 June 2026. There is no catchment area: any girl who reaches the qualifying score of 236 can be considered. With around 353 children applying for the 180 places, a qualifying score does not guarantee an offer — after a few small priority groups, most of the remaining places go to the children living nearest the school.
The three things to know first.
If you read nothing else on this page, read these.
You sit one test — the Wirral 11+ — and you register with Wirral Council by 1 June 2026.
The Wirral 11+ (the Secondary Transfer Test) is run by Wirral Council and shared by the four secular Wirral grammars — West Kirby, Calday Grange, Wirral Boys and Wirral Girls. Children sit two papers — verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and mathematics — on Tuesday 15 September 2026. You register through Wirral Council, separately from your council's school application, and the window closes at 12 noon on 1 June 2026. A combined standardised score of 236 or above reaches the grammar school standard.
There is no catchment — but distance decides most of the places.
West Kirby has no designated catchment area, so a qualifying girl from anywhere can apply. But beyond the qualifying score the test result is not a rank: after a few small priority groups (children in care, a medical need, up to 18 Free School Meal places, then siblings and staff children), 60% of the remaining places — the largest single group — go to the qualifying girls who live nearest the school. So where you live matters a great deal.
Up to 18 places are reserved for Free School Meal children — claim it on the council form.
Of the 180 places, up to 18 are set aside for qualifying children eligible for Free School MealsFree School Meals (FSM)Children eligible for free school meals at the time of application. West Kirby offers up to 18 places to qualifying FSM children, ranked among themselves by distance from the school. Details given on the preference form are verified. at the time of application, ranked among themselves by distance from the school. You name West Kirby on your home council's application form by 31 October 2026 — passing the test is not an application on its own.
Five steps — starting now.
If more qualifying children apply than there are places, these criteria decide.
Only girls who reach the qualifying score of 236 are considered. Among them, places are allocated in the order below; 60% of the places left after the small priority groups go on shortest distance, and the remainder on standardised score. Tap any criterion to see the exact wording.
In plain English: A child currently in council care, or who left care through adoption, a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order, gets first priority — provided they reached the qualifying score. In practice this is a small group.
What the document says: A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order, including those who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted (section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
In plain English: Next come qualifying children with a valid medical reason for needing a place at this particular school, supported in writing by a doctor's letter. This is uncommon and the evidence is verified by a medical officer.
What the document says: To those students with a valid medical reason supported by a doctor's letter. Details must be given on the preference form and will be verified by a medical officer of the Area Health Authority.
In plain English: Up to 18 places are reserved for qualifying children eligible for Free School Meals at the time of application, ranked among themselves by distance from the school. You must give the details on the preference form, where they are verified.
What the document says: Up to 18 places for children on Free School Meals at the time of application who achieve the qualifying score, in rank order of distance from the School. Details must be given on the preference form and will be verified.
In plain English: Qualifying children who have a brother or sister at the school at the time of application come next. This covers full, half, step and adopted siblings living in the same household.
What the document says: To those students who have a sibling at the School at the time of application. A sibling is defined as either a child by the same parents, or a half, adopted or step-child living in the same household.
In plain English: A qualifying daughter of a member of staff comes next, where the staff member has worked at the school for two or more years, or was recruited to fill a post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
What the document says: Children of staff at the school. Priority will be given where the student, having achieved the required pass mark, is the daughter of a member of staff who has been employed by the school for two or more years at the time the application is made, and/or the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
In plain English: Once the groups above are filled, 60% of the places that remain go to the qualifying girls who live closest to the school. This is the single largest group, so living near West Kirby is the biggest factor once your child has qualified.
What the document says: Once the above criteria has been applied, 60% of the remaining places will be allocated to students who live closest to the school. Distances will be measured from the home to the School gate nearest to the child's home using the shortest road route, unless it is possible to use a footpath which is considered by the school to be a safe walking route.
In plain English: The places left after the distance group — about 40% of those remaining — are offered to the qualifying girls with the highest standardised scores, ranked from highest to lowest. So a strong score can still win one of the final places even if you live further away.
What the document says: The remainder of the places will be allocated to students based on their standardised score, with students ranked from highest to lowest — the score after the age adjustments with the two test scores added together.
The two-way split: After the priority groups, West Kirby splits the rest of its places — 60% on shortest distance, the remaining 40% on highest standardised score. So both how close you live and how well your child scores can earn one of the general places.
No boundary — but distance decides most of the places.
West Kirby has no designated catchment, so a qualifying girl from anywhere can be considered on equal terms. But beyond the qualifying score of 236 the test result is not a simple rank: after a handful of small priority groups (children in care, a medical need, up to 18 Free School Meal places, siblings and staff children), 60% of the remaining places go to the qualifying girls who live nearest the school, and the final 40% to the highest scorers. So reaching 236 gets you into the running; how close you live then decides most of the offers.
Distance is measured from your home to the nearest school gate by the shortest road route — or a footpath the school considers a safe walking route — not as the crow flies. The displayed circle on our map is illustrative only; it is not a real boundary, and no fixed cutoff distance is published.
See West Kirby's location on the GrammarBound mapOnce you qualify, the nearer child usually wins.
Child A scored well above 236 but lives a long way from West Kirby. Child B only just cleared 236 but lives close by. Because most places are filled by distance, Child B is offered a place ahead of Child A in the distance group — though a very high scorer like Child A can still pick up one of the final 40% of places decided on score. A strong score gets you considered; proximity then does most of the work.
You have two routes, and you can use both.
Waiting list
Qualifying children who were not offered a place are held on a waiting list, ranked by the same oversubscription criteria and re-ordered each time a name is added or removed. The Year 7 waiting list is maintained by Wirral until 31 December, and a place can come up at any point if a family declines its offer or moves away.
The waiting list is run through Wirral's co-ordinated admissions scheme.
Appeal
If your child reached the qualifying standard but was not offered a place, you have the right to appeal to an independent panel, which follows the statutory School Admissions Code. Appealing does not remove your child from the waiting list — you can do both.
Joining Year 12 from outside.
West Kirby has a co-educational sixth form and welcomes a number of external students each year alongside its own Year 11s.
The grade floor.
Entry is by GCSE results. You need a minimum of five GCSE passes at grade 5 or above, including English and Mathematics, plus the published entry requirements for each A level you intend to take — most subjects require at least a grade 6 at GCSE. Full subject-by-subject requirements are set out in the Sixth Form prospectus.
Apply direct to the school.
Existing students have priority, but the school welcomes external applicants each year. External students apply directly to West Kirby and are offered a place after a meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership or Sixth Form Team; all offers are conditional on the August GCSE results. The total sixth-form admission number is no more than 200, to protect the quality of provision.