Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington, Leigh
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Leigh. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 15 schools in Leigh with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 105% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wigan (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington in detail
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington in its own words
In its own words: "It is a privilege for me to be the Headteacher of such a wonderful school. Visitors regularly comment on the warm welcome that they receive from this very special community that has at its heart a deeply caring ethos."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Wigan and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 73% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington as their first choice and 55 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington are Leigh St Mary's CofE Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 60% maths); Leigh CofE Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 74% reading, 67% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Leigh (0.4 miles, Good, 87% reading, 94% maths); and Leigh Central Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 61% reading, 77% maths).
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Leigh St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolLeigh CofE Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School LeighLeigh Central Primary School
What parents say
32 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 57% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (57%).
Who goes there
37.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 11.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (78%) and Black (9%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hag Fold Rail Station, about 3 miles away in a straight line.
34 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Buck Street (opposite), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington issued 50 suspensions, 24 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington are Bedford High School (1.2 miles) and Lowton Church of England High School (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a welcoming school where children feel proud and safe. The school has excellent systems to help every child learn, including strong support for children with additional needs. Reading is a priority and staff quickly identify any children who need extra help to keep up.
Key Strengths
- Strong inclusive environment with school values of forgiveness, love, hope and trust at the heart of everything
- Effective phonics programme and priority on reading, with staff quick to identify and support pupils who fall behind
- Well-developed support systems for pupils with SEND, enabling them to access an ambitious curriculum
- High priority given to pupils' well-being with considerable time spent identifying and addressing concerns
- Pupils develop strong understanding of equality, diversity, and respect, preparing them well for life in modern Britain
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent implementation of curriculum in some subjects and year groups - teaching approaches do not enable pupils to build and deepen knowledge consistently well
- Some pupils struggle to recall key information where curriculum delivery is less effective
- Lunchtimes can sometimes be less settled, though school is working to address this
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
School council, sports council, charity fundraising activities and events, wide variety of visits
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington has maintained good standards following its previous inspection. The school provides an inclusive, welcoming environment where pupils are proud to learn and thrive.
At a Glance
37.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
32 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 80% to 63% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 70% to 43% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
28.7
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington
Wk com 28th Sept 26
28 Sep 2026
Wk com 22nd Jun 26
22 Jun 2026
Wk com 15th Jun 26
15 Jun 2026
Wk com 13th July
Wk com 7th Sept
From Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington.
- Joe's Zone At St Josephs Catholic Primary School740m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington 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
- 24
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 17 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington
Will you get a place at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wigan, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington 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
105%
Over capacity
206 pupils
197 places
9 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leigh
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leigh
Across Wigan council
Places available
3,894
Applications
3,541
Got 1st preference
88.7%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All primary applications across Wigan council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(9)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
19.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
205
Total Pupils
86
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,218
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,009
Per pupil
£1429k
Total funding
£123k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.6%
Overall absence
17.0%
Persistent absence
188
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington
Questions parents ask about Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington
What are SATs results like at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
Of the pupils at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 63% did so in maths.
What is Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington's Ofsted rating?
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
No fixed boundary. When Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington is oversubscribed, Wigan allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington was full in 2025, at 105% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
Classes at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington average 29.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington has around 205 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
6.6% of sessions were missed at Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington in 2024/25. 17% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington: Joe's Zone At St Josephs Catholic Primary School (740m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 17 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington?
Christ Church CofE Primary School, Pennington is at West Bridgewater Street, Pennington, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 4HB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)