St Thomas CofE Primary School, Wigan
St Thomas CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Wigan. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 57th-highest of the 67 schools in Wigan with published results, and 11,772nd of 14,452 across England. It was 91% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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 Thomas CofE Primary School in detail
St Thomas CofE Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include multi-sports, dance and art.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils at St Thomas CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 69% 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 (72% in reading, 59% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Thomas CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 18 families put St Thomas CofE Primary School as their first choice and 51 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Thomas CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Thomas CofE Primary School are St Oswald's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 60% reading, 66% maths); St Wilfrids Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 74% reading, 89% maths); R L Hughes Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 85% reading, 97% maths); and Nicol Mere School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 97% reading, 97% maths).
St Thomas CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Oswald's Catholic Primary SchoolSt Wilfrids Catholic Primary SchoolR L Hughes Primary SchoolNicol Mere School
Who goes there
1.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
St Thomas CofE Primary School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 24 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bryn Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Orchard Street (near), 150 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Thomas CofE Primary School issued 10 suspensions, 5.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Thomas CofE Primary School are St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-Makerfield (0.6 miles); Cansfield High School (0.6 miles); and The Byrchall High School (0.7 miles).
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Ashton-in-MakerfieldCansfield High SchoolThe Byrchall High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a happy, caring school where children thrive. Teachers have high expectations and make learning fun through interesting activities and real-world experiences like school trips. The school is highly inclusive and ensures all children, including those with additional needs, can access the ambitious curriculum and participate fully in school life.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics programme with skilled implementation - pupils become fluent, accurate readers by the end of key stage 1
- Well-designed curriculum with ambitious programmes of work for all pupils, including those with SEND
- Very positive staff-pupil relationships and high expectations that motivate pupils to work hard
- Excellent behaviour management and orderly school community
- Many educational visits and enrichment activities that enhance learning
Areas for Improvement
- Recent curriculum changes have created gaps in pupils' learning in some subjects, particularly in understanding connections between topics
- Teachers' explanations of challenging new vocabulary are sometimes unclear, leading to pupil misconceptions
- Need to embed new curriculums more fully to realise their heightened ambition
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs and activities, educational visits to museums and farms, school trips (e.g. Manchester Airport), house captains, playground buddies
St Thomas C of E Primary School continues to be a good school where pupils are happy, work hard, and achieve well in most subjects. Staff have developed very positive relationships with pupils and make learning interesting and engaging.
At a Glance
23.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 72% to 62% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 59% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 76% to 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.9
Avg class size
20.0
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St Thomas CofE Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Thomas CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas CofE 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
3 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 Thomas CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at St Thomas CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Thomas CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Thomas CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas CofE 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 Thomas CofE 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
91%
Near capacity
192 pupils
210 places
18 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wigan
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wigan
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
19.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
174
Total Pupils
90
Boys
84
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
21.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,691
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,202
Per pupil
£1068k
Total funding
£47k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
11.9%
Persistent absence
177
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 Thomas CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Thomas CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Thomas CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 62% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is St Thomas CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Thomas CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Thomas CofE 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 Thomas CofE Primary School?
St Thomas CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 91% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Classes at St Thomas CofE Primary School average 24.9 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Thomas CofE Primary School?
St Thomas CofE Primary School has around 174 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Thomas CofE Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at St Thomas CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 11.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas CofE 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Thomas CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 3 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 Thomas CofE Primary School?
St Thomas CofE Primary School is at Hodnet Drive, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 8PQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)