Merchant Taylor's is a fee paying school, which is probably my first and only criticism; it's…read moreawfully expensive each year and, while I agree education is extremely important and every parent surely wants the best for their child, said child will perform just as well over the road at the non-fee paying school. I didn't do too badly and nor did my friends, nearly all of whom went on to university, several at Cambridge. Merchants has had a bit of bad press lately with a few scandals seeping out of their well hedged boundaries. Unfortunately this is destroying the reputation it once had; there are always going to be scandals, there'll be successes and failures, what matters is the indivdual student and their attitude and response to the amenities offered. Merchant Taylors offers a good deal. The extra-curricular activities, for example, include Combined Cadet Force, Boat Club, Music and Drama skills, Swimming Club and the Gifted and Talented enrichment programme is well reputed. The school building itself, and the grounds are beautiful and have a great history, and in the main, the boys act as very good ambassadors for the school.

The Alsop High School is the largest secondary school in Liverpool, now merged with St. Mary's High…read moreSchool. The amount of pupils currently studying there is huge. This shows how popular this state school is and so it should be. The school is constanly undergoing improvements and is in a much better since state the last time I could recall. With the school being a technology and applied learning specialist college, they have plenty of useful facilities to benefit pupils all set in the perfect learning environment. Whilst the school is not a private institution and pupil behaviour is not the best, it is certainly a winner in terms of ambitious teachers and facilities. The Alsop High School deserves full praise for its developments and their strive to catch up and be the best.

This was my high school so I'll try not be biased!…read more Sacred Heart recently gained specialist status in maths and IT which promoted the good reputation of the school and allowed for evolution of the site and the departments of the college. A new IT suite was built within the grounds of the upper site which is a very modern, technologically equipped building and a very comfortable teaching environment. The main building has three floors which vary in departments and aesthetic. There are plenty of IT facilities throughout, a well equipped music room, tennis courts and football field, home economics building and good laboratory facilities. I think the library is a little impoverished and there is some reliance on local libraries. Sacred Heart has good connections with the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth, and encourage able students well. The sixth form is well reputed and a great proportion of the students go on to university with their results.

Sacred Heart is a great school! The best bit about it is there is a real sense of 'community' -…read moredespite the fact the school has well over a thousand pupils everyone seems to know each other, which is really comforting, especially for the younger pupils who might feel a bit lost and confused with what is going on! The school also enjoys being - literally - the 'Heart of Crosby', taking every opportunity it can find to pun on the school's fortunate name. Even the school newspaper is called 'Heartbeat'. There is plenty of references to the Heart dotted around the school for those with attentive eyes - a heart-shaped greenery display in front of the school's main entrance, a statue of the Sacred Heart of Mary in the staff car park and, most recently, a stained glass mural of an abstract heart done by professional glass artist Julie Langam. The staff are all lovely (in my experience) and there are no real 'weirdos' - most of the teachers are really down to earth and you can tell that all of them want the very best for the children they take care of. Of course they have to punish naughty kids but that happens in every school, not their fault really. I've been to some staff only areas in my time and what really touches me is that on the walls there are some pictures of former pupils and teachers - they remember every kid that they've ever taught. In terms of facilities, I have to agree with the previous commenter. the school does have better than average I.T, Music, Art and Technology facilities and even has separate buildings dedicated to Maths, Food Tech and Sixth Form facilities. Because Upper Site is so big, it really has a campus/boarding school feel. I helped out recently at an arts day for primary school children and heard one child say about the school 'It looks like Hogwarts!'. However, may I just say about the previous commenter's concerns about the library, the library since that comment was posted has been refurbished. It looks a bit neater now and there are computers in there too. In contrast, Lower Site is a bit small and is a bit more 'blockish' compared to upper site - the building is very square and is painted shades of white and grey. It has it's own Sports Building, but lacks the facilities that Upper Site offers. Fortunately, the distance between the schools is a short walking distance so children can easily access the facilities. To conclude, Sacred Heart is a very good school and I recommend strongly to any prospective parents that you send your child there if you have the means to. The school has exceptional facilities, kind and welcoming staff, many notable former pupils (comedian Kenny Everett, Team GB gymnast Daniel Purvis, X - Factor 2011 hopeful Marcus Collins, Everton and West Brom player Victor Anichebe, dancer Jane Caulfield and opera singer Danielle Louise Thomas), great academic records, a good religious and ethical education and MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL - You really feel part of a community and feel loved. What more can you want for your child?