St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, Wigan

Good
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~479m)Possible (~685m)Unlikely (~891m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Craig Goulding
Pupils:242 / 330 capacity
LA:Wigan
Phone:01942724820
Address:Council Avenue, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9AZ
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 4 years ago
-

Overall

Inspected 2 November 2022View full report
URN:106488
UKPRN:10078712
Diocese:Archdiocese of Liverpool
Constituency:Makerfield
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Oswald's gives children an excellent start to their education, with particularly strong teaching in the Early Years and Key Stage 1. Your child will thrive in a caring, inclusive environment with exceptional behaviour standards and well above average attainment. The school's effective reading programme and strong pastoral care mean every pupil, regardless of background or ability, receives the support they need to succeed.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent Early Years provision with children making very good progress
  • Above average attainment in reading, writing and mathematics across the school
  • Outstanding behaviour, safety and attitudes to learning
  • Very effective whole-school reading programme
  • Inclusive school where all pupils are equally valued and receive effective support

Areas for Improvement

  • Not enough outstanding teaching - most teaching is good but more needs to be excellent, especially in Key Stage 2
  • Teacher marking doesn't always guide pupils on how to improve, and pupils don't always respond to written comments
  • Pupils need more chances to develop and apply their own ideas independently
  • Staff need more opportunities to learn from the best teaching practices in the school

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective - pupils feel very safe in school and parents overwhelmingly support this view.

Extracurricular Activities

School trips, school assemblies, Eco-Schools Green Flag award activities

St Oswald's is a good school where children make good progress, particularly in the Early Years and Key Stage 1. The school has well above average attainment in English and mathematics and is very inclusive with outstanding behaviour and safety.

At a Glance

19.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-16ppMaths-16ppWriting-16pp

Reading has declined from 76% to 60%. Maths has declined from 82% to 66%. Writing has declined from 76% to 60%.

Class Sizes

31.0

Avg class size

28.0

Infant (KS1)

33.3

KS2

7

Total classes

4 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Latest from St Oswald's Catholic Primary School

From St Oswald's Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Social & online

Getting There

Bus Stops

Ashton Library (nr)
161m · 3 min walk
St Oswald's Church (opp)
172m · 3 min walk
Ashton View (Stop B)
225m · 4 min walk
St Thomas Church (opp)
251m · 4 min walk
The Gerard Centre (Stop D)
272m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

73%

Available places

242 pupils

330 capacity

88 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Wigan

Low pressure
New homes approved:4,457
Projected new pupils:1,114

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Wigan

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(6)

2 November 2022
4 July 2017
12 June 2013
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

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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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School Funding

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

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.89269%

Overall absence

11.25541%

Persistent absence

231

Enrolments

Authorised3.57416%
Unauthorised1.31853%
Persistent (10%+)11.25541%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.42362%
18/19
3.2937%
20/21
5.7141%
21/22
4.77228%
22/23
5.33365%
23/24
4.89269%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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