Progress Arc Billinge School, Wigan
Progress Arc Billinge School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 19 in Wigan. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Progress Arc Billinge School in detail
Progress Arc Billinge School in its own words
In its own words: "Located in St Helens, Progress Arc supports mixed‑gender pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), where the primary identified need is Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH). Delivered across four buildings on a vast site, Progress Arc provides a holistic educational provision for young people that wraps around their individual needs. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Lotte Schol."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Progress Arc Billinge School are Learn 4 Life School (1.8 miles, Good); Martha H School (2.1 miles); This Is My Education - TIME (2.6 miles, Requires improvement, selective); and Landgate School, Bryn (2.7 miles, Good).
Learn 4 Life SchoolMartha H SchoolThis Is My Education - TIMELandgate School, Bryn
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Progress Arc Billinge School has an education, health and care plan (42 of 42 in 2026).
Progress Arc Billinge School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Garswood Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Carr Mill Road (ne-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Progress Arc Billinge School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 21 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in St. Helens (144).
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Nugent House School excels at building strong relationships with each pupil and understanding their individual needs and backgrounds. The school offers a tailored curriculum with high expectations, combined with broad pastoral and therapeutic support that helps pupils feel safe and succeed. Pupils benefit from purposeful enrichment activities and excellent preparation for their futures, with most showing significant improvements in behaviour, attitudes and attendance.
Key Strengths
- Strong, trusting relationships between staff and pupils with individualised understanding of each child's needs and background
- Well-designed curriculum tailored to meet pupils' specific needs with high expectations for learning and behaviour
- Significant improvements in pupils' behaviour, attitudes and attendance during their time at the school
- Comprehensive personal, social, health and economic education programme preparing pupils well for life beyond school
- Dedicated post-16 provision with real-life skills practice, work experience placements and structured careers guidance
Areas for Improvement
- Checks on pupils' learning are sometimes ineffective, meaning learning activities are not always closely matched to what pupils know and can do
- Support for pupils at the early stages of reading is not fully established across the school
- Some pupils do not access sufficient opportunities to deepen their subject-specific knowledge
- Gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified and addressed consistently well in some subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Horticulture, animal care, work experience placements, directed learning opportunities
Nugent House School is an independent special school for pupils aged 7-19 with behavioural, emotional and social needs. The school has been rated as Good overall, with strong relationships between staff and pupils underpinning its success.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Progress Arc Billinge School
Progress Arc and Progress Futures achieve Skills Builder Silver Award
29 Sep 2026
From trauma to trust: Ethan’s journey back to education
3 Aug 2026
From hiding away to finding his confidence: Mason’s journey to being himself again
22 Jul 2026
From school avoidance to brighter futures: Louise’s journey back to learning
23 Jun 2026
Pupils transform local spaces with handmade planters
15 Jun 2026
Inspiring insight into army careers: visit from Cpl Thomas Jones
7 May 2026
From Progress Arc Billinge School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Progress Arc Billinge School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 St. Helens is 11.5 (the median across 80 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
38%
Available places
42 pupils
110 places
68 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Wigan
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wigan
Across St. Helens council
Places available
2,109
Applications
1,849
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across St. Helens council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
42
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Progress Arc Billinge School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
42
Total Pupils
28
Boys
14
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Progress Arc Billinge School
Questions parents ask about Progress Arc Billinge School
What are GCSE results like at Progress Arc Billinge School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Progress Arc Billinge School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Progress Arc Billinge School's Ofsted rating?
Progress Arc Billinge School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2025.
Does Progress Arc Billinge School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in May 2025, Progress Arc Billinge School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Progress Arc Billinge School?
Progress Arc Billinge School has around 42 pupils on roll.
Does Progress Arc Billinge School have specialist SEN provision?
Progress Arc Billinge School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Progress Arc Billinge School?
Progress Arc Billinge School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Progress Arc Billinge School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 St. Helens is 11.5 (the median across 80 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Progress Arc Billinge School?
Progress Arc Billinge School is at Carr Mill Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7TT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)