Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh, Leigh

Requires Improvement
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~363m)Possible (~519m)Unlikely (~675m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Carol Gillespie
Pupils:300 / 315 capacity
LA:Wigan
Phone:01942674226
Address:Windermere Road, Leigh, WN7 1UX
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 8 July 2025View full report
URN:106502
UKPRN:10078700
Diocese:Archdiocese of Liverpool
Constituency:Leigh and Atherton
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school creates a warm, caring environment where Christian values shine through in how pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. Teachers deliver engaging reading lessons that help pupils develop strong fluency and expression. The school provides a broad curriculum with enriching experiences and strong support for pupils who need extra help.

Key Strengths

  • Strong leadership with clear vision and evidence-based school improvement plans
  • Excellent behaviour and Christian values evident in pupil care and consideration for others
  • Effective reading instruction with engaging lessons and good progress at higher standards
  • Well-deployed additional adults providing positive impact on pupil outcomes
  • Effective safeguarding with comprehensive policies, procedures and staff training

Areas for Improvement

  • Phonics teaching in Reception progresses too slowly, affecting children's readiness for Year 1
  • Limited opportunities for independent writing in Reception
  • Grammar, punctuation and spelling not taught consistently across subjects
  • Middle and higher-ability pupils in mathematics not given enough opportunities to investigate and explain their thinking
  • Pupils do not apply grammar and punctuation knowledge consistently across the curriculum

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective with comprehensive staff training, strong policies and procedures, vigilant adults who know pupils well, swift follow-up of concerns, and detailed high-quality record-keeping.

Extracurricular Activities

After-school activities, violin lessons

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Leigh continues to be judged as good. The leadership team has maintained good quality education with clear school improvement plans and effective collaborative work with neighbouring schools.

At a Glance

32.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

31 responses
Would recommend58%
Child is happy71%
Well taught61%
Good progress65%
Feels safe68%
Well behaved58%
Bullying dealt with10%
Kept informed55%
Handles concerns48%
Wider development55%

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

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-4ppMathsWriting+2pp

Reading has declined from 64% to 60%. Maths has remained stable at around 64%. Writing has remained stable at around 60%.

Class Sizes

29.7

Avg class size

29.3

Infant (KS1)

30.0

KS2

6

Total classes

3 classes with more than 30 pupils

1 unlawfully large infant class

2024/25 academic year

Social & online

Getting There

Bus Stops

The Avenue (adj)
147m · 2 min walk
Henrietta Street (opp)
186m · 3 min walk
Leigh Library (o/s)
231m · 4 min walk
Chadwick Street (opp)
282m · 5 min walk
Bengal Street (nr)
300m · 5 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

95%

Near capacity

300 pupils

315 capacity

15 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Leigh

High pressure
New homes approved:830
Projected new pupils:208

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Leigh

Admissions Demand - Wigan

Low demand0.92x oversubscription

Places available

3,894

Applications

3,601

Got 1st preference

89.7%

Got preferred school

97.0%

Primary admissions across Wigan (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

8 July 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
6 June 2023
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsInadequate
14 November 2017

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.94769%

Overall absence

20.4947%

Persistent absence

283

Enrolments

Authorised4.1612%
Unauthorised2.78649%
Persistent (10%+)20.4947%
Severe (50%+)2.12014%

Absence trend

4.64412%
18/19
3.22232%
20/21
5.86061%
21/22
5.54997%
22/23
5.79193%
23/24
6.94769%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.