A town in Wigan
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were close to England in 2026. Fewer pupils miss a lot of school than across England.
Wigan at a glance
How Wigan's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
23 mainstream schools in Wigan, best first
Results well above the England average.
42 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1193%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
17 first choices, 20 offers made
Met the standard at 1187%
England 62%
Results above the England average.
36 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1167%
England 62%
3 mainstream schools in Wigan, best first
Wigan, WN1 1HQ · State · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Results close to the England average.
275 first choices, 245 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1645.2
England 46.2
Results below the England average.
195 first choices, 210 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1641.9
England 46.2
Results close to the England average.
201 first choices, 194 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1645.5
England 46.2
23 in Wigan, highest Ofsted grade first
Wigan, WN1 3SU · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 5
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Wigan, WN1 2AA · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Wigan, WN1 2QR · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
2 in Wigan, by the school's Eduscope score
Wigan, WN1 1HQ · State · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Results close to the England average.
275 first choices, 245 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1645.2
England 46.2
Wigan, WN3 6SP · Special · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
6 in Wigan. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Greater Manchester, WN1 3JW · Independent · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Wigan, WN3 5XF · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Wigan, WN3 6SP · Special · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
3 in Wigan. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Greater Manchester, WN1 3JW · Independent · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Wigan, WN3 5XF · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Wigan, WN5 0QL · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Your home council handles your application, wherever the school is. Living nearby doesn't guarantee a place: each school's admission rules decide.
Pick a stage to see every Wigan school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 18 inspected are Good or better.
23nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 63% met the standard at 11.
25schools
Ages 11 to 16
42% got grade 5 in English and maths.
6schools
All 4 inspected are Good or better. About 7 pupils per teacher.
6schools
Here's how Wigan's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
Worked out by Eduscope from each school's published figures. Not an official statistic for this town.
WiganEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 16 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
63%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
42%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
17%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
32%
Latest graded inspection for the 21 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Wigan in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Wigan has 55 schools and nurseries.
Pupil numbers are about the same as in 2018.
32% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Wigan's state schools each January.
Up 1% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Wigan32%
Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Wigan has 55 schools, including 25 primary schools, 6 secondary schools, 23 nurseries, 3 independent schools, 6 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Wigan on Eduscope are Woodfield Primary School, Holy Family RC Primary School, New Springs, Wigan, St Mary and St John Catholic Primary School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
100% of inspected schools in Wigan hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 4 schools rated Outstanding and 17 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Wigan, 63% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Wigan is 18.2:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Wigan is 16.9%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 10,725 pupils enrolled across schools in Wigan, with 6,859 in primary and 3,766 in secondary. 31.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 3 independent schools in Wigan, all special schools for children with special educational needs, where councils usually pay the fees. You can compare them on Eduscope, including inspection reports where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 55 schools in Wigan by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
