St William's Catholic Primary School, Wigan
St William's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Wigan. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 49th-highest of the 67 schools in Wigan with published results, and 9,801st of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- 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 William's Catholic Primary School in detail
St William's Catholic Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "" By following Jesus' example, standing side by side we will nurture each other to fulfil our hopes and dreams. " The following objectives detail some of the many practical ways in which we hope to achieve the aims of our Mission Statement."
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are extremely proud of the success of our children and together, we want each one of them to excel within our very caring community where standards are high and our expectations are consistent and clear."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include choir, guitar, cooking and maths club.
The school runs a breakfast club.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at St William's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Wigan and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 86% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St William's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 34 families put St William's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 6 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St William's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St William's Catholic Primary School are Ince CofE Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 64% reading, 64% maths); Britannia Bridge Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 58% reading, 81% maths); St Catharine's CofE Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 52% reading, 72% maths); and St Patrick's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 83% maths).
St William's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Ince CofE Primary SchoolBritannia Bridge Primary SchoolSt Catharine's CofE Primary SchoolSt Patrick's Catholic Primary School
Who goes there
42.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 29.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (66%) and Black (12%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ince (Manchester) Rail Station, about 410 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Amar Street (near), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St William'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 William's Catholic Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from November 2018, 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 December 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St William's creates a warm, welcoming environment where children are happy and build strong friendships. Teachers are highly skilled at supporting all pupils to learn well, including those with additional needs. The school goes beyond academics to develop confident, resilient children who understand the importance of health, relationships, diversity and preparing for their future lives.
Key Strengths
- Pupils display exceptional behaviour, kindness and respect, creating a calm learning environment
- Strong early reading instruction with consistent phonics teaching and effective support for pupils who fall behind
- Staff know pupils extremely well and identify additional needs quickly, providing skilled support for pupils with SEND
- Clear curriculum vision with knowledgeable subject leaders who have defined essential knowledge across year groups
- Rich enrichment activities including residential trips, leadership roles, and learning about health, diversity and financial awareness
Areas for Improvement
- Some subject curriculums are newer and staff have not yet built sufficient expertise to deliver them as effectively as more established subjects
- In newer curriculums, teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding before moving to new learning, sometimes slowing progress
- Need to provide more targeted support to staff implementing revised curriculums to ensure quality delivery across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Residential trips with outdoor and adventurous activities, school council, reading ambassadors, breakfast club, healthy cooking lessons
St William's Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school where pupils are happy, behave exceptionally well, and achieve strong outcomes. The school has systematically improved its curriculum with careful attention to staff wellbeing and subject expertise.
At a Glance
42.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 83% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 86% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 55% to 61% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.7
Avg class size
27.5
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St William's Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St William's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St William'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
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 21 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 William's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St William's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St William's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St William's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St William'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 William'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
98%
Near capacity
205 pupils
210 places
5 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
21.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
235
Total Pupils
116
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
21.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,294
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,199
Per pupil
£1474k
Total funding
£133k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.9%
Overall absence
16.7%
Persistent absence
180
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 William's Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about St William's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St William's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St William's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is St William's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St William's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St William's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St William'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 William's Catholic Primary School?
St William's Catholic Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St William's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St William's Catholic Primary School average 28.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St William's Catholic Primary School?
St William's Catholic Primary School has around 235 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St William's Catholic Primary School?
5.9% of sessions were missed at St William's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 16.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St William's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming St William'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.
How many road collisions happen near St William's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 21 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 William's Catholic Primary School?
St William's Catholic Primary School is at Ince Green Lane, Ince-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN2 2DG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)