Cansfield High School, Wigan
Cansfield High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wigan. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 11th-highest of the 13 schools in Wigan with published results, and 2,397th of 3,298 across England. It was 78% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cansfield High School in detail
Cansfield High School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am very proud to be the Headteacher of Cansfield High School. Cansfield is an inclusive 11 to 16 secondary school and every member of our team does their upmost to provide a high standard of education, care and support to the students who form the bedrock of our community."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Cansfield High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.8 in Wigan and 47 across England.
36% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Wigan and 47% in England.
That is down from 44.4 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.55: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 32.8, against 45.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and Geography.
Getting a place at Cansfield High School
For September 2026 entry, 135 families put Cansfield High School as their first choice and 381 named it as one of their preferences, for 172 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Cansfield High School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Cansfield High School are St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.4); The Byrchall High School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8); Hawkley Hall High School (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.9); and Outwood Academy Haydock (2.3 miles, Attainment 8 42.9).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Cansfield High School.
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-MakerfieldThe Byrchall High SchoolHawkley Hall High SchoolOutwood Academy Haydock
Where pupils go next
Of the 195 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 43% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Cansfield High School has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bryn Rail Station, about 700 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cansfield High School (outside), 70 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cansfield High School issued 82 suspensions, 7.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Cansfield High School are R L Hughes Primary School (0.3 miles), Nicol Mere School (0.3 miles), St Oswald's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles) and Bryn St Peter's CofE Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
R L Hughes Primary SchoolNicol Mere SchoolSt Oswald's Catholic Primary SchoolBryn St Peter's CofE Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cansfield High School creates a caring environment where pupils thrive academically and personally. Teachers know their students well and provide strong support, particularly for those with additional needs. The school offers enriching experiences like international trips, outdoor adventures, and leadership opportunities that develop well-rounded, resilient young people.
Key Strengths
- Well-trained staff provide excellent support for pupils with SEND, helping them access the curriculum effectively
- Strong subject knowledge among teachers who design effective learning activities and quickly address gaps in knowledge
- Secure processes to identify reading difficulties with effective support to help pupils read fluently
- Calm and purposeful atmosphere with good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
- Wide range of enriching educational experiences including dance club, outdoor adventure activities, and international trips
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers occasionally choose learning activities that do not allow pupils to access subject content in sufficient depth, particularly affecting disadvantaged pupils
- Limited opportunities in the personal development programme for pupils to celebrate different cultures and faiths
- Some pupils not adequately prepared for life in modern Britain due to insufficient coverage of cultural diversity
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school having secure processes in place.
Extracurricular Activities
Dance club, outdoor adventure activities, international trips, student parliament, careers fair, global citizen lessons, reading for pleasure programmes
Cansfield High School is a good secondary comprehensive school where pupils are proud to attend and benefit from a caring, nurturing atmosphere. The school has improved its curriculum to be broad and ambitious, with most pupils achieving well.
About
Cansfield High School is a coeducational secondary school located in the Ashton-in-Makerfield area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
28.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.28 to -0.55 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 47.2 to 41.7 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 36% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 41.7 | 36.3% |
| Disadvantaged(57) | - | 32.8 | 17.5% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(147) | - | 45.2 | 43.5% |
| Boys(120) | - | 41.4 | 34.2% |
| Girls(84) | - | 42.1 | 39.3% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(6) | - | 54.6 | 50% |
| Non mobile(201) | - | 42.0 | 36.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 195 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.29%
Exclusion rate
82
Suspensions
7.92%
Suspension rate
42 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,036 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Cansfield High School
DofE Garden Party - Buckingham Palace
1 Jun 2026
Fantastic Success for Re-Pawposed at the Greater Manchester Showcase
8 May 2026
Young Enterprise Company Programme - Mia
25 Feb 2026
Young Enterprise Trade Fair
13 Feb 2026
Always Learning
18 Sep 2025
Work Experience: Lions of 2026
18 Sep 2025
From Cansfield High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Cansfield High School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cansfield High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cansfield High School is in Wigan; for families living there:
Apply to Wigan for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wigan is 10 (the median across 146 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Cansfield High School
Will you get a place at Cansfield High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cansfield High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cansfield High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cansfield High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wigan, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cansfield High School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wigan got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
78%
Available places
1,040 pupils
1,334 places
294 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wigan
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wigan
Across Wigan council
Places available
4,061
Applications
3,718
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across Wigan council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
207
SEN Support
47
EHC Plans
26.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Cansfield High School has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
974
Total Pupils
543
Boys
431
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
56
Teachers
17.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,059
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,038
Per pupil
£7721k
Total funding
£288k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
18.9%
Persistent absence
1,060
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Cansfield High School
What are GCSE results like at Cansfield High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Cansfield High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.7. 36% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Cansfield High School's Ofsted rating?
Cansfield High School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Cansfield High School?
No fixed boundary. When Cansfield High School is oversubscribed, Wigan allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cansfield High School?
Cansfield High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 1334 places.
How big are the classes at Cansfield High School?
Classes at Cansfield High School average 24.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cansfield High School?
Cansfield High School has around 974 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Cansfield High School have specialist SEN provision?
Cansfield High School has a resourced provision for autism: 20 places, 8 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Cansfield High School?
7% of sessions were missed at Cansfield High School in 2024/25. 18.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cansfield High School?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming Cansfield High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Cansfield High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wigan is 10 (the median across 146 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cansfield High School?
Cansfield High School is at Old Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9TP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)