Overall Oxbridge
#137
2 ranked schools · +777 places vs Eng avg #914 of 1,983
Applications
127
Offers
28
Offer rate22.1%
-0.3 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 22.4%
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 46% of England
Across 91 primary, secondary and sixth-form schools, state and independent. The average Find My School Inspection Score is 7.62/10, +0.24 vs England.
Find My School Inspection Band
20% Elite
Distribution across all Wigan schools
EliteExcellentGoodDeveloping
Wigan vs England distribution
National Rank
Top 46%
Across all ranked Wigan schools
Top 42%Primaryavg #6,317 of 14,978
Top 65%Secondaryavg #2,520 of 3,862
Top 57%Sixth formavg #1,466 of 2,555
Primary schools: 70 schools (state + independent)
LocalEngland avg
Average FMS Inspection Score
7.7/10
+0.31 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.3/10
Average national rank
#6,317
+8 pts vs medianmedian 7,489
top 42% of 14,978
% reaching expected RWM standardstate
68%
+6 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 62%
% reaching higher RWM standardstate
11%
+3 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 8%
Average FMS Inspection Score
7.7/10
+0.31 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.3/10
Average national rank
#6,317
+8 pts vs medianmedian 7,489
top 42% of 14,978
% reaching expected RWM standardstate
68%
+6 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 62%
% reaching higher RWM standardstate
11%
+3 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 8%
Secondary schools: 14 schools (state + independent)
LocalEngland avg
Average FMS Inspection Score
6.8/10
-0.61 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.4/10
Average national rank
#2,520
-15 pts vs medianmedian 1,931
top 65% of 3,862
Attainment 8 score (out of 90)state
44.1
+5.0 vs Eng avgEng avg 39.1
Average FMS Inspection Score
6.8/10
-0.61 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.4/10
Average national rank
#2,520
-15 pts vs medianmedian 1,931
top 65% of 3,862
Attainment 8 score (out of 90)state
44.1
+5.0 vs Eng avgEng avg 39.1
Sixth form schools: 7 schools (state + independent)
LocalEngland avg
Average FMS Inspection Score
8.9/10
+1.16 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.7/10
Average national rank
#1,466
-7 pts vs medianmedian 1,278
top 57% of 2,555
% A*-A at A-Level
19%
-6 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 25%
% A*-B at A-Level
46%
-4 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 50%
Average FMS Inspection Score
8.9/10
+1.16 vs Eng avgEng avg 7.7/10
Average national rank
#1,466
-7 pts vs medianmedian 1,278
top 57% of 2,555
% A*-A at A-Level
19%
-6 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 25%
% A*-B at A-Level
46%
-4 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 50%
Oxford
#99
2 ranked schools · +154 places vs Eng avg #253 of 1,197
Applications
80
Offers
14
Offer rate17.5%
+2.4 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 15.1%
Cambridge
#679
2 ranked schools · +94 places vs Eng avg #773 of 1,880
Applications
47
Offers
14
Offer rate29.8%
+0.3 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 29.4%
Top 3 Primary Schools
2026
Wigan
Top 3 Secondary Schools
2026
Wigan
Top 3 Sixth Forms
2026
Wigan
Local directory
School profiles in Wigan
Browse 85 local profile links across primary schools, secondary schools and sixth forms. Each profile brings together admissions context, performance data, inspection history and school details in one place.
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