Golborne High School, Warrington
Golborne High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Warrington, part of The Golborne and Lowton Co-operative Learning Partnership Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 10th-highest of the 14 schools in Warrington with published results, and 1,815th of 3,298 across England. It was 88% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- 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
Golborne High School in detail
Golborne High School in its own words
In its own words: "Golborne High School is a unique community where young people thrive. Our mission is to provide opportunities that enable every child to have aspirations, vision and great pride in their achievements."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Golborne High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.8 in Wigan and 47 across England.
48% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Wigan and 47% in England.
That is down from 50.1 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.05: pupils made about 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 37.3, against 47.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Golborne High School
For September 2026 entry, 279 families put Golborne High School as their first choice and 446 named it as one of their preferences, for 236 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 45 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Golborne High School are Lowton Church of England High School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.2); Hope Academy (2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 43.9); St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.4); and The Byrchall High School (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8).
Golborne High School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Lowton Church of England High SchoolHope AcademySt Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-MakerfieldThe Byrchall High School
The trust
Golborne High School is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 216 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 39% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.
Who goes there
8.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Chinese (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Newton-le-Willows Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Golborne High School (near), 140 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Golborne High School issued 112 suspensions, 9.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Golborne High School are St Thomas CofE Junior and Infant School (0.3 miles); Lowton West Primary School (0.4 miles); All Saints Catholic Primary School, Golborne, Wigan (0.5 miles); and Golborne Community Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Thomas CofE Junior and Infant SchoolLowton West Primary SchoolAll Saints Catholic Primary School, Golborne, WiganGolborne Community 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Golborne High School excels at creating a supportive environment where all pupils are encouraged to achieve their best. Teachers are subject experts who use high-quality teaching methods to help pupils understand and remember important knowledge. The school has excellent systems in place to support pupils with additional needs and those who need extra help with reading.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve exceptionally well with highly supportive relationships with teachers who are experts in their subject areas
- Ambitious, carefully designed curriculums help pupils build securely on prior learning with regular assessment to identify and address misconceptions
- Strong focus on reading fluency with skilled support for pupils who struggled with reading in the past
- Effective systems to identify and support pupils with SEND, who learn the same curriculum as their peers
- Well-structured careers programme that motivates pupils and helps them understand their options after school
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders having established strong systems, regular staff training, and pupils learning how to keep themselves safe including online.
Extracurricular Activities
drama club, basketball practice, debate club, singing club, house captain roles, prefect positions, school council
Golborne High School is an Outstanding secondary school where pupils aspire to achieve highly and live out the 'Golborne Way' through respectful behaviour and strong academic outcomes. Leaders and staff have high expectations for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.
About
Golborne High School is a coeducational foundation secondary school located in Golborne, Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
25.2%
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 remained stable at around -0.05 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 51.7 to 45.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 56% to 48% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.1 | 47.6% |
| Disadvantaged(55) | - | 37.3 | 36.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(172) | - | 47.5 | 51.2% |
| Boys(125) | - | 42.2 | 44.8% |
| Girls(102) | - | 48.6 | 51% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(12) | - | 54.3 | 50% |
| Non mobile(220) | - | 45.5 | 47.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 216 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.26%
Exclusion rate
112
Suspensions
9.76%
Suspension rate
52 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,147 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Golborne High School
Open Evening
28 Sep 2026
Summer News Letter
16 Jul 2026
Summer 2026 Newsletter
22 May 2026
Spring 2026 Newsletter
2 Apr 2026
2026 New Year Newsletter
13 Feb 2026
Extracurricular Spring Term
21 Jan 2026
From Golborne High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Golborne High School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Golborne High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Golborne 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 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 Golborne High School
Will you get a place at Golborne High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Golborne High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Golborne High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Golborne 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 Golborne 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
88%
Available places
1,142 pupils
1,299 places
157 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Warrington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Warrington
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
172
SEN Support
38
EHC Plans
18.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,144
Total Pupils
610
Boys
534
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
78
Teachers
14.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,130
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,843
Per pupil
£8377k
Total funding
£284k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.9%
Overall absence
20.4%
Persistent absence
1,173
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 Golborne High School
What are GCSE results like at Golborne High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Golborne High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.1. 48% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Golborne High School's Ofsted rating?
Golborne High School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Golborne High School?
No fixed boundary. When Golborne 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 Golborne High School?
Golborne High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 1299 places.
How big are the classes at Golborne High School?
Classes at Golborne High School average 22.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Golborne High School?
Golborne High School has around 1144 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Golborne High School?
7.9% of sessions were missed at Golborne High School in 2024/25. 20.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Golborne High School?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming Golborne 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 Golborne High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 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 Golborne High School?
Golborne High School is at Lowton Road, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 3EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)