Westhoughton High School Review 2026: A large community secondary shaped by clear values

On Bolton Road in Westhoughton, the school’s LEARN values are literally flown on flags at the front of the site, a small detail that signals the bigger aim: make expectations visible, not assumed. Westhoughton High School is a state secondary school for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, with a published capacity of 1350.

This is a sizeable, non selective community school, and that scale shows up in practical ways: multiple buildings, a broad option menu, and a day that runs on tight routines. The most recent Ofsted inspection rated Westhoughton High School Requires Improvement.

For families, the headline is balance. There is plenty here that is deliberately designed around personal development, careers and wider participation, alongside a clear set of priorities for improvement around curriculum consistency, attendance and behaviour at social times.

The school badge places local identity front and centre, with a cow’s head (Keawyed) and the Pretoria Pit Wheel used as symbols of working hard and pulling together. That matters because it is not just branding. The school puts community participation into the student experience, including fundraising and support for local charities.

LEARN is the organising idea you will hear repeatedly. It stands for Look after each other, Enjoy school, Aim High, Respect each other (and the school community), and Never stop learning. When values are this explicit, they can help students who prefer clarity: the rules are meant to be spoken out loud, reinforced, and revisited rather than left to guesswork.

Leadership is stable. Mr N S Coe has been headteacher since September 2021, and the direction is towards an inclusive and restorative approach. At the same time, the day is not always smooth around the edges: behaviour is generally respectful, but some students’ conduct between lessons and at break or lunch can disrupt others, and bullying does sometimes happen.

GCSE results

Ranked 3048th in England and 22nd in Bolton for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), Westhoughton sits below the England average overall, in the lower portion of schools in England for this measure.

The current picture is challenging. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 43.1 and its Progress 8 score is -0.64. For families, that combination usually feels like two things at once: students are not leaving with the outcomes they could, and improving day to day learning consistency is the priority, not polishing the edges.

The EBacc indicators reinforce the same message. The average EBacc APS is 3.39, compared with an England average of 4.08, and 1.9% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure. If a traditional language and humanities route matters to you, ask how the Key Stage 4 pathway is structured and how entry decisions are made.

Parents comparing local schools can use FindMySchool’s comparison view to line up Progress 8 and Attainment 8 side by side, then dig into what is driving the differences.

Across Key Stage 4, the core offer includes separate GCSEs in English Language and English Literature, with science delivered as two GCSEs and the option to follow triple science. Options span academic and vocational routes, including languages, computer science, creative and performing subjects, and several BTEC Tech Award pathways.

The breadth is there, but the consistency of curriculum thinking has been uneven. In some subjects, the most important knowledge has not been identified and sequenced clearly enough, which makes it harder for students to build secure understanding over time. Teaching is also variable: staff have good subject knowledge, but lessons do not always use the most effective activities or checks for understanding, so misconceptions can linger.

Support is more detailed where reading is concerned. There are clear processes for students who struggle with reading, including phonics based approaches for those at earlier stages. Home learning expectations are also set out plainly: at Key Stage 3, students are asked to spend around 30 minutes per week on English, maths and science tasks, plus around 20 minutes per week for geography, history and modern foreign languages; at Key Stage 4, the guidance increases to around an hour per week for the core subjects, plus around 30 minutes for option subjects.

Because the school is 11 to 16, progression at 16 is the norm rather than the exception. The personal development programme includes careers guidance and Year 10 work experience, which helps students connect subject choices to real pathways before GCSE pressure peaks.

The school also brings in post 16 providers to speak to Year 11. Named presentations include Bolton Sixth Form, Rivington and Blackrod Sixth Form, Runshaw College, Salford College, and Wigan and Leigh College. For families, that is useful for two reasons: it signals that planning starts early, and it reduces the odds of students drifting into a choice they do not really understand.

A practical point: students who want A levels, a vocational college course, or an apprenticeship route will do best when the decision is treated as a project, with deadlines, visits and a clear list of entry requirements, rather than something left to spring.

Routes and criteria

Admissions are coordinated through Bolton Council. Westhoughton is oversubscribed, and the numbers show it: 434 applications for 259 offers, which is about 1.68 applications per place. In a school of this size, that level of demand does not mean it is impossible to get a place, but it does mean you should not assume availability.

When a community school is oversubscribed, priority runs through the familiar sequence: pupils with an EHCP, looked after and previously looked after children, children on a child protection plan, siblings, medical grounds, and then proximity. Distance is measured in a straight line using Routefinder, from the home address point to the designated main entrance, with a random draw used as a tie breaker where needed.

Timeline and practicalities

For September 2026 entry, applications ran from 1 September to 31 October 2025, with offers confirmed on 2 March 2026. The published deadline for secondary appeals for September 2026 intake is 30 March 2026.

To sense check a realistic commute and how distance rules might apply to your address, FindMySchool’s map tools are a good way to get precise about routes before you commit to a shortlist.

Support structures are visible and named. The Every Child Hub is described as an integrated student support hub, with literacy programmes, nurture programmes, access to specialist equipment, and short term intervention for students considered at risk. This matters most for families who want a school to have a clear plan for early help, not only crisis response.

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff trained to spot concerns and clear systems for recording and referral. Students are also taught about issues such as consent, healthy relationships and online safety through the personal development curriculum, which is the kind of content that pays off quietly over time.

There are still areas that affect day to day confidence. Attendance has been identified as not high enough, and the school has introduced specific actions to improve it. Behaviour is also a live issue: most students meet expectations, but some behaviour between lessons and at social times can make others feel uncomfortable, and bullying does sometimes happen, even though staff respond quickly when it is reported.

Friday swimming club is one of the more distinctive details, and it is open to all year groups. That sits neatly alongside the practical advantage of the site adjoining the local leisure centre, giving students access to facilities including a swimming pool, gym and squash courts.

There are also clear routes for students who like structured enrichment. The school offers the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award, and the wider extracurricular mix includes a world cinema club. For quieter students, the library is treated as a working space, open before school and at break and lunch, with after school access on several days for homework and quiet study.

Community work is not left as a vague aspiration. Students have opportunities to support local charities, and whole school initiatives such as Let’s Share Christmas and Bring the Spring show how community action is built into the culture rather than bolted on.

Transport & parking

Public transport is straightforward for many families: the school is close to Westhoughton and Daisy Hill train stations, and bus services run regularly from Bolton town centre, with a published 944 bus timetable. By car, routes are commonly described via the M61 (Junction 5), then the A58 and A6 before turning onto Bolton Road.

The school site has a car park, with gates closed at set times for student safety, so drop off and pick up benefit from a little planning, especially if you are combining siblings or clubs.

The school day

Students are expected on site by 08:30, with an official start time of 08:33 for form. The official end of the day is 15:15, with an earlier finish at 14:15 on Wednesdays. The published total is 32 hours and 30 minutes per week.

Results and consistency: Progress measures and GCSE outcomes show clear room for improvement, and the curriculum has been described as uneven in some subjects. This can be a good match for students who respond well to extra structure, revision support and routines, but it is worth asking how consistency is being strengthened across departments.

Behaviour at social times: Most students behave well, but some behaviour between lessons and at break or lunch disrupts others, and bullying does sometimes occur. Families who want calm corridors and predictable transitions should ask about supervision, sanctions, and how behaviour systems are applied.

Attendance expectations: Attendance has been identified as an area that needs to rise, because missed days quickly become missed knowledge at GCSE level. If your child is prone to school refusal, anxiety or persistent absence, you will want a clear picture of the support plan and the escalation route.

Competition for places: With 434 applications for 259 offers, demand exceeds supply. It is sensible to build a realistic set of preferences, understand the distance tie break, and treat open evening as an opportunity to sanity check fit rather than a formality.

Westhoughton High School is a big, local 11 to 16 community secondary with a clear values framework, a broad subject offer, and well defined strands around careers, personal development and support. It is also a school where improvement priorities are real: curriculum consistency, behaviour at social times, attendance and outcomes are the work in front of it.

Best suited to families who want a local, non selective school with clear routines and visible support, and to students who benefit from being offered multiple pathways and structured revision. Competition for places is the limiting factor, and the best next step is to test fit carefully through open evening and a realistic look at day to day logistics.