Best Schools in Wigan

How many schools are there in Wigan?

Wigan has 103 open schools: 70 state primary, 13 state secondary or all-through, 15 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Wigan are rated Outstanding?

23 schools in Wigan were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Winstanley College; Orrell Newfold Community Primary School; Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, Parbold; Newburgh Church of England Primary School; St John Rigby RC Sixth Form College; and 18 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 91 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Winstanley CollegeOrrell Newfold Community Primary SchoolOur Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, ParboldNewburgh Church of England Primary SchoolSt John Rigby RC Sixth Form College

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Wigan get the best GCSE results?

Of the 15 schools in Wigan with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Standish Community High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.9 and 55% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.4 and 54% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Shevington High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.4 and 46% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Standish Community High SchoolSt Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-MakerfieldShevington High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Wigan have the best SATs results?

Of the 66 primary schools in Wigan with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, Parbold (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Nicol Mere School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); and Orrell Newfold Community Primary School (95% in reading, 98% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, ParboldNicol Mere SchoolOrrell Newfold Community Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Wigan?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Wigan selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Wigan have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Wigan have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Wigan?

Apply to your council - Wigan, Lancashire or St. Helens, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.