Schools in Wigan

Once the industrial centre of one of Britain's densest coalfields, Wigan has remade itself around the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, its post-industrial identity now anchored by the Wigan Pier quarter, made famous by George Orwell's 1937 account of the town's working-class hardships. The coalfields are long gone. Around 107,000 people live in Wigan, with the wider borough home to over 330,000.

Wigan Town Centre forms the commercial and civic core, with Orrell to the southwest widely regarded as one of the borough's most competitive pockets for state school catchments and Ashton-in-Makerfield to the south attracting families competing for primary places. Parbold and Standish extend the residential belt further across this Greater Manchester borough, and Northern Rail trains connect the town to Manchester in around thirty minutes.

  • 68

    Primary

    schools

  • 14

    Secondary

    schools

  • 3

    Post-16

    colleges

  • 12

    Special

    schools

of which7sixth forms·49faith·2nurseries99 total

Area Performance

Wigan schools rank in the top 47% of England

Across 91 primary, secondary and sixth-form schools, state and independent. The average Find My School Inspection Score is 7.59/10, +0.20 vs England.

Find My School Inspection Band

19% Elite

Distribution across all Wigan schools

EliteExcellentGoodDeveloping

Wigan vs England distribution

National Rank

Top 47%

Across all ranked Wigan schools

Top 43%Primaryavg #6,360 of 14,853
Top 67%Secondaryavg #2,560 of 3,824
Top 58%Sixth formavg #1,461 of 2,536

Local directory

School profiles in Wigan

Browse 29 local profile links across primary schools in wigan town, secondary schools in wigan town and sixth forms in wigan town. Each profile brings together admissions context, performance data, inspection history and school details in one place.

Primary schools in Wigan town

24 local matches

Rankings

Secondary schools in Wigan town

4 local matches

Rankings

Sixth forms in Wigan town

2 local matches

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