University of Liverpool Maths School
No fixed catchment, no boarding — and the Sunday Times' 2026 State Sixth Form College of the Year.
University of Liverpool Maths School opened in 2020, the third school in the network and the first outside the founding 2014 cohort. It runs an unusually rigid academic model — all students take Maths, Further Maths, Computer Science and Physics together in Year 12 — and, distinctively, operates no defined catchment area at all: distance from Liverpool is explicitly not a factor in admissions. In December 2025 it was named State Sixth Form College of the Year in the Sunday Times' Parent Power guide.
Key facts
- Status
- Open
- Location
- Liverpool city centre
- Region
- North West
- Age range
- 16–19
- University sponsor
- University of Liverpool
- Opened
- 2020
- Capacity
- 160 students
- Current roll
- 123 students (July 2026)
- DfE URN
- 147477
- Website
- liverpoolmathsschool.org
Admissions
- GCSE requirements
- Grade 8+ in Mathematics; Grade 7+ in Physics, or grade 7-7 in Combined Science; Grade 5+ in English Language or Literature (may be waived if English isn't the applicant's first language); at least 4 further GCSEs at grade 5+.
- Entrance test
- 'Mathematics Aptitude Test' — 60–90 minutes, no calculator, largely Key Stage 3 content, assessing problem-solving, algebraic fluency and applying maths to unfamiliar situations. Sample questions are published and early applicants get a preparation briefing.
- Interview
- Scored 1–6 on mathematical problem-solving (an Olympiad/STEP-level answer scores 6), plus a separate, unscored pastoral interview used to apply a priority weighting (×1.05–1.2 on the combined score) for disadvantaged applicants.
- Deadline
- For September 2026 entry: early-deadline Sunday 7 December 2025 (unlocks a prep session); standard deadline early January 2026; aptitude test Saturday 17 January 2026; interviews in February; conditional offers by end of February; confirmed on GCSE results day in August. A second round runs March–August if places remain.
- How to apply
- liverpoolmathsschool.applicaa.com/
Full admissions page for Liverpool Maths School →
Subjects
Required: Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics
All four are compulsory in Year 12; most students drop to three in Year 13 (dropping either Computer Science or Physics), and some continue with all four. No other subjects are offered — the school says directly that students wanting to study medicine, biosciences or chemistry are unlikely to be a good fit.
Boarding & travel
- Boarding
- Not offered — day school
- Boarding detail
- Day school only — no boarding. Some families relocate to Liverpool independently rather than commute; most students travel daily.
- Travel support
- A standard bursary (for students with a recent history of free school meals, very low household income, young carers, or those in local-authority care) covers travel, books and a personal iPad. An enhanced 'Garnett Scholars' tier adds funded trips (including CERN), Russell Group university visits and other support. Exact amounts are not published.
Catchment
No defined catchment area — the admissions policy explicitly states distance is not a factor. Students travel daily from Lancashire, Warrington, North Wales, Cheshire and Merseyside; some relocate from further afield.
This school does not operate a defined catchment boundary — see the note above for how it actually decides who can apply.
Results
| Year | % A* | % A*–A | % A*–B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29% | 58% | 82% |
| 2024 | 33% | 72% | 87% |
| 2023 | 29% | 69% | 88% |
| 2022 | 20% | 59% | 87% |
2025: 8 students achieved straight A*s.
Destinations
12% of 2025 leavers progressed to Oxford or Cambridge. The school says the majority of students go on to research-intensive/Russell Group universities to study maths, physics, engineering, computer science or economics, with a growing number choosing degree apprenticeships instead.
Ofsted
- Rating
- Outstanding — overall effectiveness and all five sub-judgements
- Date
- 20–22 March 2024 (report published 10 May 2024)
- Report
- Read the report
Culture & ethos
Describes itself as one of the friendliest, smallest and highest-performing schools in the country, with a widening-participation mission built directly into admissions via the disadvantage weighting. Ofsted highlighted a nurturing, highly inclusive culture and an "aspiring mathematician" industry-project programme.
Leadership
Dan Vickery, from September 2026 (succeeding founding headteacher Damian Haigh)