St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School, Leigh
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Leigh. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 15 schools in Leigh with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 115% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wigan (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 81% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Wigan and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (81% in reading, 83% in maths).
Getting a place at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 50 families put St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 59 named it as one of their preferences, for 50 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School are Hindsford CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 87% maths); Sacred Heart RC Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 70% reading, 70% maths); Parklee Primary School (1 mile); and Tyldesley Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 91% reading, 93% maths).
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Hindsford CofE Primary SchoolSacred Heart RC Primary SchoolParklee Primary SchoolTyldesley Primary School
What parents say
17 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
51.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School had 22 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Atherton Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Regent Drive (near), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School issued 6 suspensions, 1.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School are Fred Longworth High School (0.6 miles), Bedford High School (0.9 miles), Atherton High School (1.1 miles) and St Mary's Catholic High School (1.2 miles).
Fred Longworth High SchoolBedford High SchoolAtherton High SchoolSt Mary's Catholic High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Gabriel's is a warm, inclusive school where children thrive. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and deliver lessons with clear explanations, helping pupils develop subject-specific vocabulary. The school goes beyond the classroom with an exceptional range of experiences - from talent shows to sustainability projects - that help every child, including those with additional needs, develop their talents and build confidence.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional personal development with extensive visits to museums, galleries and places of worship that deepen pupils' understanding of art, culture and the wider world
- Very effective teaching of early reading through systematic phonics instruction, with almost all pupils learning to read with accuracy, fluency and confidence
- Outstanding support for pupils with SEND, ensuring they participate fully in school life and building their self-esteem through activities like public speaking competitions
- Strong behaviour management with pupils following instructions, concentrating well and showing kindness towards each other
- Excellent leadership and staff well-being, with the school expertly managing staffing changes and valuing staff workload concerns
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, learning activities are not well matched to the needs of a small number of pupils, causing them to become over-dependent on adult support and waste learning time waiting for help
- Need to ensure more consistent matching of tasks to learning needs across the curriculum so all pupils reach their full academic potential
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Talent shows, public speaking competitions, sustainability projects, helping the elderly, career awareness visits from professionals, reading events, eco-council activities, school council, subject ambassador roles
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School is a vibrant and caring school where pupils are happy, well-behaved, and achieve very well. The school has developed an ambitious curriculum with strong teaching, though some activities need better matching to individual learning needs.
At a Glance
51.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
17 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 81% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 81% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.3
Avg class size
23.3
Infant (KS1)
24.5
KS2
15
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Wigan
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Gabriel's Catholic Primary 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
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 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 St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wigan, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary 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
115%
Over capacity
346 pupils
300 places
46 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leigh
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leigh
Across Wigan council
Places available
3,894
Applications
3,541
Got 1st preference
88.7%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All primary applications across Wigan council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
54
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
18.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
375
Total Pupils
198
Boys
177
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,388
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,290
Per pupil
£2515k
Total funding
£282k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
13.8%
Persistent absence
304
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 81% did so in maths.
What is St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Gabriel's Catholic Primary 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 St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School was full in 2025, at 115% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School average 24.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School has around 375 pupils on roll. 52% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
5.6% of sessions were missed at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 13.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 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 Wigan is 10 (the median across 146 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School?
St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School is at Queensway, Higher Folds, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2XG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)