Dean Trust Wigan, Wigan
Dean Trust Wigan is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wigan, part of The Dean Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 13th-highest of the 13 schools in Wigan with published results, and 2,932nd of 3,298 across England. It was 75% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Wigan (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Dean Trust Wigan in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Dean Trust Wigan averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.8 in Wigan and 47 across England.
25% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Wigan and 47% in England.
That is up from 33.1 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.12: 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 35.4, against 40.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 4.8 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 17 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Spanish.
Getting a place at Dean Trust Wigan
For September 2026 entry, 110 families put Dean Trust Wigan as their first choice and 166 named it as one of their preferences, for 140 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Dean Trust Wigan are St Peter's Catholic High School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.2); Up Holland High School (1.5 miles, Attainment 8 50); St John Fisher Catholic High School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.5); and The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.2).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Dean Trust Wigan.
St Peter's Catholic High SchoolUp Holland High SchoolSt John Fisher Catholic High SchoolThe Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College
The trust
Dean Trust Wigan is one of 11 schools run by The Dean Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.5 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 151 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 76% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 51% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.
Who goes there
58.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 170 pupils (23.8%) received SEN support and 10 (1.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Pemberton Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Greenhey (opposite), 280 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Dean Trust Wigan stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Dean Trust Wigan issued 34 suspensions, 4.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Dean Trust Wigan are Orrell Lamberhead Green Academy (0.1 miles), St John's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles), Westfield Community School (0.7 miles) and St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School Wigan (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Orrell Lamberhead Green AcademySt John's CofE Primary SchoolWestfield Community SchoolSt Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School Wigan
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; 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
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 · 4 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its October 2023 inspection.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
58.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -1.52 to -1.12 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 30.4 to 37.5 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 14% to 25% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 37.5 | 25.2% |
| Disadvantaged(76) | - | 35.4 | 22.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(63) | - | 40.2 | 28.6% |
| Boys(67) | - | 38.3 | 25.4% |
| Girls(72) | - | 36.8 | 25% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(14) | - | 39.6 | 28.6% |
| Non mobile(131) | - | 36.7 | 22.9% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 151 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.39%
Exclusion rate
34
Suspensions
4.42%
Suspension rate
24 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 770 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Dean Trust Wigan
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Dean Trust Wigan from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dean Trust Wigan 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
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 8 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 on a bicycle.
4 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 Dean Trust Wigan
Will you get a place at Dean Trust Wigan? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dean Trust Wigan's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dean Trust Wigan:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dean Trust Wigan.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wigan, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Dean Trust Wigan for 2017 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
75%
Available places
766 pupils
1,025 places
259 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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
170
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
25.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
715
Total Pupils
361
Boys
354
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
49
Teachers
14.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,477
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,108
Per pupil
£6908k
Total funding
£472k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.0%
Overall absence
26.1%
Persistent absence
811
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
Dean Trust Wigan
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Dean Trust Wigan
What are GCSE results like at Dean Trust Wigan?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Dean Trust Wigan achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37.5. 25% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Dean Trust Wigan's Ofsted rating?
Dean Trust Wigan's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Dean Trust Wigan?
No fixed boundary. When Dean Trust Wigan is oversubscribed, Wigan allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Dean Trust Wigan?
Dean Trust Wigan was not full in 2025: it ran at 75% of its 1025 places.
How big are the classes at Dean Trust Wigan?
Classes at Dean Trust Wigan average 22 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Dean Trust Wigan?
Dean Trust Wigan has around 715 pupils on roll. 58% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dean Trust Wigan?
9% of sessions were missed at Dean Trust Wigan in 2024/25. 26.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dean Trust Wigan?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming Dean Trust Wigan 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 Dean Trust Wigan?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 8 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 on a bicycle. 4 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 Dean Trust Wigan?
Dean Trust Wigan is at Greenhey, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN5 0DQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)