Sign up free
Skip to main content

Schools across Wigan

Local authority · 146 schools across 11 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Wigan (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wigan (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Wigan →

Schools in Wigan (146)

Showing 20 of 146 schools

Total Schools

146

99 primary · 19 secondary

Total Pupils

48,372

95% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

46

8 outstanding · 38 good

Capacity

50,846

2,474 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

38
99
Outstanding: 8
Good: 38
Requires Improvement: 1
Not inspected: 99

Best Schools in Wigan

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

36.5

GCSE Eng+Maths

32.7%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

96% full
26,840 pupils27,982 capacity

1,142 spare places

Secondary Schools

96% full
19,770 pupils20,570 capacity

800 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.0%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

15.0%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

122

2024/25

Absence trend across Wigan schools

4.7%
18/19
4.6%
20/21
7%
21/22
6.6%
22/23
6.6%
23/24
6%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

22%

Plans Issued

662

Assessment Requests

1,052

Tribunal Cases

23

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

93%
2019
73%
2020
73%
2021
75%
2022
59%
2023
42%
2024
22%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

3,955 admissions

185

Lodged

(4.7%)

136

Heard

30

Successful

(22%)

Primary (infant classes)

3,737 admissions

113

Lodged

(3.0%)

84

Heard

10

Successful

(12%)

Secondary

4,031 admissions

231

Lodged

(5.7%)

159

Heard

26

Successful

(16%)

Total

7,986 admissions

416

Lodged

(5.2%)

295

Heard

56

Successful

(19%)

Total appeals lodged per year

676
2019
721
2020
765
2021
973
2022
946
2023
1014
2024
861
2025
945
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Wigan

Wigan

89 schools

Leigh

20 schools

Manchester

18 schools

Warrington

10 schools

Greater Manchester

2 schools

WIGAN

2 schools

Select

1 schools

WARRINGTON

1 schools

Atherton

1 schools

Hindley, Wigan

1 schools

Hindley

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Wigan

How many schools are there in Wigan?

Wigan has 146 open schools: 99 state primary, 20 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 21 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Wigan are rated Outstanding?

28 schools in Wigan were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Winstanley College, Orrell Newfold Community Primary School, Garrett Hall Primary School, St John Rigby RC Sixth Form College, Nicol Mere School and 23 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 135 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 SchoolGarrett Hall Primary SchoolSt John Rigby RC Sixth Form CollegeNicol Mere School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Wigan get the best GCSE results?

Of the 21 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 97 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 Gilded Hollins Community School (100% in reading, 97% 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.

Gilded Hollins Community SchoolNicol 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, Wigan 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 Wigan 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. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables