Diverse, inclusive and safe shools in Liverpool with German and drama...?

[Bongabees]

Hi, we are looking to relocate to Liverpool from overseas and wondering about schools that offer German MFL, Drama and are multicultural, while still having good behaviour and an inclusive environment and good-ish results. Asking for local insights because I have exhausted the online info and not always trusting of the priorities that OFSTED base their inspections on... Thank you!

Private or state? Merchants has German but it’s private.

Where about in Liverpool will you be living, and what year are you applying for?

We are looking at state schools and don't have an address yet so open to any area. My DD will be applying as year 7 and DS in year 10.

When are you due to relocate? Places after year 7 are In Year applications and the deadline for 2024 year 7 entry was last October, so you may not have much choice of school as it depends on there being vacancies.

So few schools offer German these days, it may well be hard to find one.

You'll have to find out where has places as it's in year transfer

I agree - it will be more a case of finding out which schools have places in those year groups. Many schools are full, particularly for year 7. There may be more choice for year 10 as some students move to studio schools in y9 or 10 and free up spaces.

I think most schools offer some sort of drama or performing arts, and some offer a range of languages, but I don't know of any that offer German in particular.

Liverpool College offers German but you’ve got no chance of an in year place.
Is your daughter starting in September as a Year 7?

In terms of a multicultural school you’re better in the south of the city - Calderstones, Childwall might have places. Avoid Kings.
Bellerive and Belvedere are worth a look, although doubt they’d have places. St Margaret’s for your son as an option.

Unless you go to church or think they have a shot at passing the exams that offer an extremely limited number of places, you won't have a cat in hells chance of getting most of the better schools listed on here.

OP I don't know the area or any schools, but would echo that fewer and fewer secondaries offer German now. Most offer drama though.

I might not worry too much about the German as it might be feasible to pick it up (if studied already) through other means such as conversation classes, Duolingo or a tutor (depending on whether a GCSE or just some familiarity with the language is sought).

Agree with others tho, as both your DC will be in-year applications in effect (even if one is starting year 7 in Sept) it will be a case of "which school or schools have places?". I would as a priority call the LA and see what the answer to that question is (schools close this week or next for the summer) and see what you think of those.

You could always post the names of the schools that have places on here and see what ppl think. Are you moving over the summer? The sooner your year 10 is in a school the better, because of GCSE work starting.

You might be in with a shot for your Y10 because students do leave at that point to go to the UTCs but Y7 will be hard if she’s a September start. Don’t let her end up in Dixons whatever you do!

Sorry I didn't mention, we are looking to relocate next summer, so applying for year 7 place along with everyone else.

Thank you everyone! This is really helpful information.

Honestly, it's a minefield navigating school admissions from overseas, so this is super helpful.

I didn't think to ask the LA about schools that have places in that year group.

Thanks!

You will need to be resident in the UK before October 15th to apply in the normal round as your home address is what is used for admissions.

For Y10 entry, watch when school start the GCSE syllabus - many start mid-way through Y9 and some schools do a 3 year GCSE pathway and start at the beginning of Y9.

You won't be able to apply until you have relocated here and have an address. There may be a workaround for this, you'll have to speak to the council and see what they say.

Otherwise you won't be able to apply this October with everyone else, and will just have to take any places that are left when you move, which really isn't ideal.

For instance for this year, according the Liverpool City Council website, there are only places left at 4 secondary schools after places were allocated in spring this year. And they are the schools that nobody wants (including one of the Dixon schools aforementioned!). That is not to say they're necessarily terrible schools!

Sorry but this is the harsh reality of secondary school admissions in the city.

Of course, depending on where you move to you may also be able to apply to schools outside of liverpool council (sefton, West lancs, wirral) I'm not sure if the situation is any better there.

But will also add - the are waiting lists for the full schools which you can put your DCs name on, and spaces do come up, so you may need lucky.

There are some good schools just outside of Liverpool, near Southport. Separate boy/girls school though. Birkdale for boys, can't remember the girls one.

Also look at Hilbre High school. On the Wirral but fab for drama.

But will you have your UK address when you apply?
I am a professional Relocator so I deal with this situation all the time and generally I advise house first and then school as while you can often apply from overseas your application will be way down the list.
I know how hard it is to juggle both but if you are looking at State you need the house first. You can try and find a house near to some schools you would consider but don't pick a house based purely on school proximity as you still might not get a place

Hey @Bongabees your timelines are a bit unclear (sorry!) – are you moving in summer 2025, and your DD will apply for year 7 in Oct 2025, to start in Sept 2026? If so happy days. Or do you mean that you move in summer 2025 and your DD should start year 7 in Sept 2025? If so then yes she’ll be at best a late application. How old is your older dc and when is their birthday?

We will be moving summer 2025 for September 25 start in Yr 7 and Yr 10. We were planning to apply to schools without an address this year for the Yr 7 place.

It's looking less and less doable though... sadly they make it very hard for anyone relocating with secondary aged kids to get into a good enough school. 😕

If you are flexible on location then Formby/Southport has seven High Schools all OFSTED good, including a boys and a girls school. You will get a place in one of them.

Check the local authority's guidance notes for where you plan to live as different authorities have different rules on applying from abroad - some allow it others do not.

Do not choose your school based on them doing German. It was one of the deciding factors for us with DD’s school (we have significant German family) and the school stopped doing German because they couldn’t get a teacher. Luckily dd has been very happy there in general so it was the right choice - but very annoying.

Similar at my DS school. He did German Y8 and Y9, as it turned out he hated it, but it was dropped at GCSE anyway due to a combo of not enough students and teacher needed to take an extra Spanish class.
It's a shame as it's such an interesting language to learn.

Admission authorities (LA / Trust _ school of whichever is responsible - LA for main round) should now not refuse to consider an application from any non-local address.

www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children#processing-school-applications-from-parents-moving-to-england^Processing school applications from parents moving to England^The following advice sets out how school admission authorities and local authorities should process applications for places for children who are living in another country at the point the application is made.Parents who are not UK or Irish nationals should check they, and their children, have a right to reside in the UK before applying for a school place in England. It is not the responsibility of the admission authority or local authority to check.A school admission authority cannot refuse to admit a child until the school to which the parents have applied is full – for example, it has reached its published admission number. Parents who are moving or returning to England or the UK and who apply for a place in England must therefore have their applications for state-funded schools considered. Admission authorities cannot, for example:

• require the applicant has a permanent home address either in the UK or overseas before processing an application
• require the submission of immigration documentation proving the applicant’s right to reside in the UK before processing an application

Where a place is refused, admission authorities must offer an appeal to an independent appeal panel.As is the case with admission authorities more generally, nothing in legislation prevents a local authority from co-ordinating an application from a family living in another country or posted overseas but moving or returning to England or the UK so that the child will be living in the area when they start school.If a local authority refuses to co-ordinate an application for a school place from parents currently living in another country but moving or returning to England, an admission authority for the school would have significant difficulty in being able to lawfully apply its admission arrangements.We recommend that determined co-ordinated schemes follow the process set out in this advice.Applications in the normal admissions round and late applicationsIf an application is made from another country, local authorities should consider the application as adequate proof of an intention to move or return to the area and include it within the local authority co-ordinated process.A local authority should not refuse an application made from overseas (or from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands) on the grounds that the applicant does not currently live in its area. A local authority can reasonably request the evidence set out in the following sections, so the admission authority holds sufficient information to determine the application....So the LA can ask for evidence of a local address, but in the absence of evidence, rank the application according to the non-local address (and obviously, where distance is a criterion or tie break, the pupil applying from abroad is always going to be ranked lower).Schools where priority is given to evidence of religious affiliation and adherence, without additional ranking with regard to e.g. parish of residence or in which the physical church attended is located would probably be the best bet in these cases (unless a distance tie breakis required), assuming applicable.But for a school which is undersubscribed, the place should be offered, even if oversubscription criteria include tanking by distance.

The girls is Greenbank