Wirral secondary schools advice please :)

[Yasmin2015]

Hello there, I'm looking to move to Wirral in about 18 months time and have a son who will then be looking to start at secondary school. I would really appreciate hearing some advice about good schools to apply for please. Whilst Ofsted is always useful, I feel that parents feedback is even more helpful :)
I'm thinking of moving to West Kirby but am open to looking elsewhere. Hope to hear from some of you soon!
Thank you.

Lucky you. Lovely place Wirral, especially West Kirby.
Calday Grange Grammar would probably be on your short list already. Wirral Grammar too I presume. Probably the best 2 schools in that area.

Thanks so much for a quick reply!
Yes, it really feels like such a genuinely friendly place whenever I've visited :) I have heard of both of the above schools and I'm looking into which one has the edge in terms of dealing appropriately with bullying (which of course all schools unfortunately experience) and a good balance of discipline and enjoyment. I hope I make the right choice!
Thanks again.

You do need to take a view on whether your son will potentially make the grade in terms of going to the grammar schools on the Wirral. The tests for the grammar schools are usually in the third week in September for admission the following year. So if you are thinking in terms of needing a school for September 2017, you will need to take the tests in September 2016. You need to complete and return an Assessment Request Form to Wirral Local Authority by 31st May to take the test in September. You need to talk with the schools and the LA on when and how you take the tests if you are not resident by Summer 2016.
The grammar school admission criteria are all about firstly meeting the pass mark in the exams and then it is effectively sibling and then on distance from the school to your house. The distance is measured by shortest walking distance.
If you decide to live in West Kirby then Calday Grange Grammar is the obvious choice and the distance is unlikely to be a handicap from an offer of a place. However the distance from West Kirby to Wirral Grammar in Bebington may well be too far to get in on distance.
It may well be that you should consider Heswall as a possibility for living in as whilst it is further from Calday Grange Grammar, it will reduce the distance to Wirral and therefore potentially give you more possibilities.
The other thing to consider is the scenario that your son does not get the offer of a grammar school place. The next nearest secondary school from West Kirby is going to be Hilbre and then going back towards Heswall, Pensby. If you decide on living in Heswall or Irby then another possibility is Neston High. That is actually in Cheshire West and Chester Local Authority but does have really good pastoral care of its pupils. AS you say all schools have some bullying and it is what the school does about it that really matters.

Admission, a really big THANK YOU for such detailed information and useful advice on my decision and choices for secondary schools-I am extremely grateful! :D I will certainly take on board all this info. I also aim to attend open days at different schools. I know how quickly time flies by so will find out more about the residential areas that you've so kindly mentioned. Thank you again.

I can't speak for Wirral Grammar as I know few parents/students there personally.

For Calday Grange, its a typical Grammar School - there will be the usual banter, teasing and occassional school yard scraps between boys, but I've rarely heard of it getting out of hand. The only instances of serious trouble (drugs, abuse, etc) that I've seen, heard of, or read about, were of individuals having with problems outside of school, not within the school.

My family visit the Wirral every summer and my DC's tell me the boys they've met from both schools are generally friendly and good natured. DS actually wrote to & received letters from some of them. Letters, not email .

Hilbre was mentioned in an earlier thread. In my teens (so so long ago), this was probably the school of last resort for most boys & girls. However, the school has undergone a transformation in more recent years and the gap with its peers is no longer as wide as before.

Thank you for all the info. Ahwoo. That's great re: letters not e mails! ;) I will be attending open days too so hopefully that will help.
Really appreciate this feedback.