Cansfield High School, Wigan

Good
Secondary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 1116

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.9km)Possible (~2.7km)Unlikely (~3.5km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data. Admissions policy: Non-selective

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Nicola Daniels
Pupils:974 / 1,012 capacity
LA:Wigan
Phone:01942727391
Address:Old Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9TP
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:106521
UKPRN:10018121
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Makerfield
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Cansfield High School creates a happy, welcoming environment where pupils behave well and feel cared for by committed staff. The school offers a wide range of subjects and extra-curricular activities. When teaching is at its best, pupils make rapid progress and develop strong positive relationships with teachers.

Key Strengths

  • Leaders, staff and governors are highly committed to the school and its pupils
  • The school has a happy, welcoming atmosphere with very polite behaviour and positive relationships between pupils and teachers
  • Some teaching is highly effective, with pupils making rapid progress in those classes
  • Recent changes to senior leadership are starting to address inconsistency in outcomes and teaching
  • Parents are very supportive and say their children are well looked after

Areas for Improvement

  • Teaching is inconsistent across the school - challenge and learning quality depend too much on which classes pupils are in
  • Pupils' progress rates are lower than in many schools, with particularly weak outcomes for disadvantaged pupils
  • The school's assessment systems are complex and do not give a clear picture to pupils and teachers
  • Leadership and governors have not provided sufficient challenge to ensure consistent improvement
  • Disadvantaged pupils have below-average attendance at key stage 4

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff regularly trained on protecting pupils including risks of extremism, clear information displayed for pupils, and high levels of care and welfare support.

Extracurricular Activities

Sport, learning hub (additional English and maths support), Year 11 revision lessons, wide programme of extra-curricular activities

Cansfield High School requires improvement overall. While the school has a positive atmosphere and well-behaved pupils, pupils' progress has been inconsistent and outcomes have not been good enough, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

At a Glance

28.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

25.2

Avg class size

40

Total classes

4 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Latest from Cansfield High School

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Getting There

Train Stations

Bryn Rail Station (South Entrance)
700m · 11 min walk

Bus Stops

Cansfield High School (o/s)
67m · 1 min walk
Cansfield Grove (opp)
115m · 2 min walk
Melford Drive (nr)
164m · 3 min walk
Harold Avenue (opp)
281m · 5 min walk
Osborne Road (opp)
311m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

96%

Near capacity

974 pupils

1,012 capacity

38 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Wigan

High pressure
New homes approved:4,457
Projected new pupils:802

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Wigan

Admissions Demand - Wigan

Low demand0.91x oversubscription

Places available

4,050

Applications

3,703

Got 1st preference

88.4%

Got preferred school

96.4%

Secondary admissions across Wigan (2025/26)

Inspection History(110)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.96932%

Overall absence

18.86792%

Persistent absence

1,060

Enrolments

Authorised4.58371%
Unauthorised2.3856%
Persistent (10%+)18.86792%
Severe (50%+)2.26415%

Absence trend

4.40401%
18/19
4.16602%
20/21
8.59169%
21/22
7.6112%
22/23
8.0328%
23/24
6.96932%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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