Hope School, Wigan

Outstanding
Special
Community special school
Mixed
Ages 219

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Susan Lucas
Pupils:233 / 200 capacity
LA:Wigan
Phone:01942824150
Address:Kelvin Grove, Marus Bridge, Wigan, WN3 6SP
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Outstanding

Sixth Form

Inspected 10 June 2025View full report
URN:106543
UKPRN:10015891
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Makerfield
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Hope School excels at creating a warm, inclusive environment where every pupil is known well and supported as a unique individual. The school is outstanding at preparing young people for adult life through real work experience opportunities, while making reading and communication a priority. Staff work collaboratively with families and professionals to remove barriers to learning, resulting in pupils who are happy, well-behaved and making good progress.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent behaviour and outstanding personal development with a strong focus on preparing pupils for adulthood and work experience
  • Highly effective teaching of communication, language and reading with consistent use of signs, symbols and communication aids
  • Strong relationships between staff and pupils creating a family atmosphere where pupils feel valued and safe
  • Excellent attendance support working closely with families and local authority to remove barriers
  • Outstanding early years and sixth form provision

Areas for Improvement

  • Curriculum refinement is at an early stage for some areas - the school needs clearer monitoring of whether new curriculum pathways are improving pupils' learning
  • Need for greater consistency in how the curriculum is delivered across all subjects to ensure consistent progress over time

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong partnerships with parents, carers and professionals to identify and meet pupils' individual needs.

Extracurricular Activities

School choir, water sports, outdoor activities, beach visits, sixth form college bistro work experience, workplace visits, school council, youth parliament

Hope School is a special school for pupils aged 2-19 with complex SEND needs. The school creates a nurturing environment with high expectations, where all pupils have an Education, Health and Care plan and receive personalised support to make progress.

At a Glance

43.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, HI - Hearing Impairment

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

33 responses
Would recommend97%
Child is happy100%
Well taught97%
Good progress94%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved100%
Bullying dealt with3%
Kept informed97%
Handles concerns33%
Wider development97%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMathsWriting

Reading has remained stable at around 0%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Hope School & College (o/s)
155m · 3 min walk
Dalton Drive (opp)
288m · 5 min walk
Marus Bridge Retail Park (o/s)
307m · 5 min walk
Highfield Community Centre (o/s)
310m · 5 min walk
Poolstock Lane (nr)
399m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

117%

Over capacity

233 pupils

200 capacity

33 places over capacity

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(8)

10 June 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsOutstanding
Sixth FormOutstanding
16 April 2024
27 September 2018

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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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Pupil Absence
2024/25

9.24183%

Overall absence

28.57143%

Persistent absence

182

Enrolments

Authorised9.11505%
Unauthorised0.12678%
Persistent (10%+)28.57143%
Severe (50%+)1.64835%

Absence trend

9.36262%
18/19
20.68364%
20/21
14.12544%
21/22
10.80905%
22/23
10.48238%
23/24
9.24183%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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