Birkdale School is a day school for 825 pupils, offering a first class education for boys from 4 to 18, with a co-educational Sixth Form, and a 4-11 Preparatory School on a separate campus nearby. The Sixth Form was launched in 1988 and now has 150 pupils, virtually all of whom in recent years have entered University, including Oxbridge. First class degrees have already been obtained at Oxford and Cambridge and scholarships won at both Universities. Set in a pleasant residential area near the University and 1.5 miles from the city centre, the school has expanded in recent years to provide for Sheffield and South Yorkshire the only independent secondary school for boys. School coaches bring pupils from Worksop, North Derbyshire, Rotherham and Barnsley. Over 20 A level subjects, together with a full range of academic subjects to GCSE, are available. Birkdale is a Christian school: there is nothing exclusive about this; entrance is open to all, and there is no denominational emphasis. We seek to develop the full potential of each individual: body, mind and spirit. Within a framework of high academic standards, pastoral care is given a high priority, and there is an increasing emphasis on sport and outdoor pursuits, music and drama, with an unusual breadth of extra-curricular activities available. The launch of the Sixth Form in 1988 led to a รบ3.5m development programme to provide a new home for the Preparatory School at Clarke House, and, at the Senior School, five new laboratories, a new Art Design and Technology building, Sixth Form Centre, Music School, Library, and 30 metre Sports Hall. In 1997 the school acquired new 30 acre sports ground and a 2.4 acre addition to the Senior School campus to accommodate the needs of recent growth in numbers at the School.
Alumni - The Association is run by M R Eckersley, Chairman OBA, 421 Whirlowdale Road, Sheffield S11 9NG. Former pupils include Antony Favell MP; Mr Justice Paul Kennedy (High Court Judge); Lord Riverdale; Colonel John Boddy (High Sheriff); Michael Palin; Rex Harrison; Mark Roe.
