Merchant Taylors’ Named Finalist in Independent School of the Year Awards

Merchant Taylors’ is celebrating after being named a finalist in the Independent School of the Year Awards 2026.

The school has progressed to the final of the Regional Independent School of the Year: North category and is now one of just six finalists, selected from 13 schools originally commended earlier this year.

The recognition follows a landmark year in which Merchant Taylors’ completed its transition to one fully co-educational school, while continuing to strengthen its connections with communities and organisations across Liverpool and the wider North West.

Merchant Taylors’ has served families from Crosby, Liverpool and the wider region for more than 400 years. Today, the school offers a continuous education from Reception through to Sixth Form, with pupils joining at different stages throughout their school journey.

The Independent School of the Year Awards celebrate schools from across the independent education sector, recognising their achievements and the contribution they make to pupils and their wider communities.

Mr Philip Dearden, Headmaster at Merchant Taylors’ Schools, said:

“We are immensely proud to have been named a finalist in the Regional Independent School of the Year: North category. To progress from 13 commended schools to the final six is a wonderful recognition for our pupils, staff and families.

“The past year has been a hugely significant one for Merchant Taylors’, as we completed our first full academic year as one fully co-educational school. Bringing together two schools with more than 400 years of shared history was about much more than organisational change. Our ambition was to create one school and one community, preserving the very best of our traditions while creating new opportunities for every pupil.

“What has been particularly rewarding is seeing how naturally our pupils have embraced that change: learning together, leading together, performing and competing together, and developing a strong shared identity as Merchant Taylors’ pupils.

“At the same time, we remain very conscious of our place within Crosby, Liverpool and the wider North West. Merchant Taylors’ has deep roots in this region, and we want our pupils both to benefit from the extraordinary opportunities around them and to understand their responsibility to contribute in return through partnership, service and engagement with the wider community.

“This recognition feels particularly special because it reflects both where Merchant Taylors’ has come from and where we are going: one co-educational school, rooted in its community, ambitious for its pupils and confident about its future.”

The finalist recognition follows Merchant Taylors’ being named the top independent school in Merseyside in The Times Parent Power Guide 2025. It also comes after a year in which pupils continued to enjoy success both in the classroom and through the wider opportunities available to them.

The winner of the Regional Independent School of the Year: North award will be announced in October.