Winstanley College, Wigan
Winstanley College is a post-16 school for pupils aged 16 to 19 in Wigan. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2025)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Winstanley College in detail
Winstanley College in its own words
In its own words: "Everyone at Winstanley holds a shared ethos of excellence, support and inspiration. Our mission is to create and sustain a high-quality educational environment in which students are presented with standards of academic brilliance and opportunities to succeed. Students at Winstanley strive to learn and fulfil their potential, as proven by our year-on-year fantastic results."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Thank you for your interest in Winstanley College. Our job is to work with you to unlock your potential. We want you to be the best you can be, and we will do everything we can to help you achieve excellence."
Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 27 October 2026, an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026, an open evening on Wednesday 18 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 10 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Where pupils go next
Of the 1192 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 63% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 18% into work. 28% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Orrell Rail Station, about 840 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Winstanley College (at), 140 metres away.
Sources: DfE destination measures; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Reasonable
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Winstanley College excels at preparing students for their next steps with ambitious curriculums taught by enthusiastic, well-qualified teachers. Students consistently achieve highly, with strong support systems that help every student feel valued and safe. The college provides excellent careers guidance and develops students' study skills so they leave as confident, mature young people ready for university or employment.
Key Strengths
- Excellent teaching with highly qualified and enthusiastic staff who use skilful explanations and effective questioning to help students learn
- Carefully planned curriculums that build knowledge progressively, with around two-thirds of students achieving the highest grades
- Very strong support systems that keep students safe and help them feel welcomed, respected and cared for
- Individualised support for students with SEND and high needs, ensuring they achieve at least as well as their peers
- Extensive additional activities including clubs, societies and subject-related enrichment that broaden students' knowledge
Areas for Improvement
- Leaders do not yet involve stakeholders sufficiently in the design and teaching of all their courses
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with highly responsive staff who deal with student concerns swiftly and very effectively.
Extracurricular Activities
Anime and manga club, creative writing workshops, gothic fiction workshops, Winstanley Waffle weekly magazine, subject-related activities, culture day, concerts, community projects on local railway station regeneration
Winstanley College is a sixth-form college in Wigan with around 2,200 students aged 16-18 studying A-levels, applied general courses, and vocational programmes. The college has been rated Outstanding across all areas, improving from its previous Good rating.
About
Winstanley College is a sixth-form college in the Billinge Higher End area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Sixth Form Performance (A-Level)
A-Level Results
B
Average grade
39.0
Points per entry
B
Best 3 A-Levels
20%
Achieving AAB+
Above average
Value added
1,050
A-Level students
90%
Retention rate
2024/25 academic year
A-Level Subjects Offered
+ 16 more subjects
2024/25 academic year - entries by number of students
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 1,192 students
2023/24 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
28%
Top-third university
75%
Degree course
80%
Any L4+ destination
4%
Apprenticeships
Based on 999 students completing 16-18 study
2022/23 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby schools
Latest from Winstanley College
Youth Climate Summit
2 Oct 2026
Throwback Thursday: Caitlin Lyth
1 Oct 2026
Most Impactful Communications Award at the Educate Awards
25 Sep 2026
Throwback Thursday: Emaan Baloch
24 Sep 2026
Throwback Thursday - Ellen Haslam
10 Sep 2026
Winstanley College's Class of 2026 Celebrate Outstanding Results
13 Aug 2026
From Winstanley College's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Winstanley College
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Wigan
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wigan
Across Wigan council
Places available
4,061
Applications
3,718
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across Wigan council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
Questions parents ask about Winstanley College
What is Winstanley College's Ofsted rating?
Winstanley College was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025.
What is the catchment area for Winstanley College?
No fixed boundary. When Winstanley College is oversubscribed, Wigan allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to Winstanley College?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming Winstanley College on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Winstanley College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Winstanley College?
Winstanley College is at Winstanley Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7XF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)